Learning to breathe again
by TitaniaSarys
Summary: A 14-parts songfic about how Peter got Gamora back. IW Spoilers! "Because he just had to make her a romantic playlist and he couldn't bring himself to erase it."
1. I was born to love you

Gamora's gaze wouldn't leave Peter's, as if there was some kind of magnetic field keeping them lost in each other's eyes. His hands on the small of her back held her close to him while hers remained loosely on his shoulders, simply fitting there as if they belonged. Peter kissed once again her hairline and felt her smile against his stubble before she kissed him on the lips, another passionate kiss to add to their ever-growing collection. Not that he would complain, he could let Gamora kiss him all day.

They kept on swaying to the music coming from the speakers, the Zune plugged on a console a few feet from them in its usual place.

"I still can't believe you made me a sappy playlist…" Gamora said once she broke their kiss and pressed her head in the crook of his neck, making him automatically hold onto her tighter as she sighed contentedly.

"Hey, it's not sappy, it's _romantic_. Stop complaining, I know you like it anyway."

He grinned when she said "Well, the melody _is_ pleasant."

Sometimes, Peter still couldn't believe his luck. Lately, it seemed as if every single one of his dreams had come true. He had a family, he was loved by the woman of his life and their unspoken thing wasn't unspoken anymore. Peter had dreaded a little bit the moment when they'd have to tell about their relationship to the others, well at least confirm it. But as it turned out, the others already knew and Rocket summed up everyone's thoughts when he said "Took you guys long enough."

And now here they were, not caring if the others saw them, just enjoying each other's presence. It had been a slow process, the last four years together and Peter wouldn't lie telling that it hadn't been all rainbows and butterflies.

But somehow, they made it through and they made it work. Each of them had their own problems, even Peter and Gamora and fitting into a romantic relationship hadn't been easy. He had longed for her for so long and desperately craved her love whereas she was simply afraid of her own emotions. But somehow, they completed each other.

Suddenly, Gamora's dark doe eyes looked up at him. "The man singing, isn't he the one who sang for a queen?"

Peter chuckled.

"Yes, Freddie Mercury. But he didn't sing for a queen, the name of his band was called Queen."

"This is weird."

Peter laughed at that.

"Well, weird is our normal, what did you expect?" He looked at her lovingly. "I can totally relate to this song though."

She returned his smile and there was so much love in her eyes that his heart melted here and there.

Her right hand traveled along the length of his body, sending shivers down his spine, until it rested on his heart. That was one of the things he had started to notice about her after their unspoken thing became spoken, how Gamora had specific gestures when she wanted to express something. How her eyes would soften when she was dancing with him and when everything felt right. How her hand would automatically find his face and remain there whenever he had a nightmare after everything that happened with Ego, Yondu and his mom. How she would claim the left side of the bed without asking once she moved to the captain's quarters with him, also claiming the left side of their dresser, of the bathroom sink, of the shampoo's rack. How her fingers would twitch ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, whenever Thanos or what he had done was mentioned. How aggressive she would become when someone dared threaten one of the Guardians, regardless of the fact that they could all pretty much defend themselves now. How she would sing along with him in the most unexpected moments. How she would now gladly dance with him whenever he asked, whatever the time and place. How she would shyly call him honey, trying it out for the first time. How she would place her hand above his heart every now and then to feel it beating.

"I love you. More than..."

"What the flarg you doin', Pete?"

Peter's eyes snapped open and he found himself standing in the common room of the freshly repaired _Milano_ , his arms lifted in the air and a stupid smile on his face as Rocket looked at his from the entrance of one of the cabins, a look of concern etched on his face rather than amusement. Peter looked down at his arms, but instead of the beautiful and wonderful green skinned woman, there was nothing. His fingers grabbed at the air for a second before his arms fell alongside his body and his smile disappeared. His lips were set in a tight line as he sat back down on a chair, grabbing the bottle that was standing on the table.

"Nothing, just… sorry, I just… zoned out for a moment."

Rocket watched him take a long swig of the Asgardian mead (courtesy of Thor) before wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and sitting in such a way that Gamora would have kicked him under the table to make him sit straight, saying he had to show a good example to Groot.

Rocket sighed and jumped on another chair, paw extending towards the bottle. Peter didn't have the heart to argue and passed the bottle. He looked at the raccoon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Listen, man. I know what you're gonna say and I'm… actually no, I'm not fine and I probably never will be. But I don't want to hear your shrink talk tonight. Not… not tonight…"

He pressed a hand to his face, fatigue etched on his features, a trait all of them seemed to share lately, both those who had turned into dust and those who had stayed. Despite the fact that they had managed to bring everyone back thanks to the stones acting up and some magic mojo Rocket didn't really care to understand, Thanos wasn't done yet. And the Avengers were also looking for a way to bring Vision back, exploring possibilities, the Time Stone being their most hopeful one.

And Rocket hoped that, if they were able to bring Vision back, they would also be able to bring Gamy back. Not only for Peter, but for all of them. Gamora was not only their co-leader, she was also their friend, their family. The Guardians were incomplete without her.

"We got your back, Pete. Whatever you decide to do about Vormir, we got you."

He took a swig of the mead and bitterly remembered how Peter had come to own the damn thing in the first place. After they somehow managed to find Thanos living a _freaking peaceful retirement_ for da'st sake, they had been able to reverse the latest action of the Gauntlet, which was the eradication of half of the universe. But Thanos didn't stay idle and fled. Some of the others were still tracking him down, others had returned to Wakanda to prepare, making it their base for the next weeks where everyone could return and be safe. Most of them went there to regroup, to train, to prepare and try to find solutions. Thor for instance stayed there and worked with Wanda to try and bring Vision, Loki and all the Asgardians back. Nebula was among those who hunted Thanos and Drax chose to follow her, along some of the Avengers.

Rocket had remained on the _Milano_ with Peter, not because he jokingly said he was the captain, but because he had been the last Guardian standing. He had worked with Stark and Rogers and all of those left, and some new allies, to bring the others back. Now, he acted as the liaison between the Avengers and the Guardians. Peter had made it very clear that he was only interested in killing Thanos, the rest didn't matter. So until then, he spent his days sulking, drinking and moving around the _Quadrant_ like a ghost without a purpose. When the Guardians parted ways with the Avengers, on the pretext that they needed to take care of Gamora's body and would look for Thanos from space, Thor had given Peter the bottle of Asgardian mead and said "You'll need it. Only this will numb you enough, trust me, I know." As if that hadn't killed the mood.

Rocket got where the thunder dude came from, but he didn't think the alcohol was making Peter's situation any better. It was a temporary fix that would eventually destroy him, if his grief didn't do it first. But Rocket had no miracle solution this time, no fancy machinery that would bring Gamora back or pull Peter out of his misery.

So one day he had told Peter to come with him to the _Milano_ and just take a break. Peter had followed aimlessly, his eyes a void that seriously scared Rocket. But the raccoon just couldn't bring himself to go to Vormir just yet, not without Peter being ready, if he ever was going to be.

Peter just nodded and took the bottle back, taking another huge gulp before settling it on his lap, his eyes lost in the emptiness mirroring the one in his heart. Rocket then left him alone and climbed back to the cockpit where Kraglin piloted (the _Quadrant_ safely remaining in Wakanda). Mantis and Groot were somewhere on the ship, probably sleeping since it was the middle of the night.

Just as the raccoon's tail disappeared, the last words of the song could be heard and Peter cried silently for the millionth time since he was back.


	2. I've got hungry eyes

As the hours stretched, Peter lost more and more his awareness. It had been like that for a few days now, even before Thor handed him that bottle of Asgardian mead and even before Rocket took him and the rest of the Guardians out of Wakanda. Before they went back to the _Milano_ , Peter was a mess in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people. Now, he was a mess in a place he knew by heart, surrounded by people who had seen him in a worst state than that.

Mantis had shyly asked him if he wanted her to help him feel better. Even though she promised she wouldn't take his grief away, that she could help him sleep or feel a little better at least, Peter had wanted none of it. Of course, he was grateful that she cared enough to offer to help him, but he didn't want to feel any different. Of course, he wanted Gamora back instead of this grief and pain so powerful he found himself lost and desperate more times than not. But he didn't want his feelings to be reduced or weakened. He was a masochist that way.

He kind of felt like he deserved it. And every time he thought about the last time he saw her, when he was lucid enough, he wondered about all the things he could have done differently. At least, the last thing he said to her was that he loved her, same for her, but somehow, it didn't make him feel any better. True, the last four years with Gamora had been heaven, a true blessing he had contemplated many times and wondered how in the universe he got so lucky. Their story had been full of joy and he knew she loved him, just like he knew she knew he loved her. They had been honest and gave everything they had into this relationship. Still, there were too many things they could have done together, all those possibilities reduced to a figment of his imagination now that his world was gone.

It took him an entire day to muster the courage to enter their quarters, and even then, he asked Groot to come with him. The teen had changed since this whole thing started and since Thanos definitely ruined their lives. Groot was more invested in their team, group, family and now he also showed how much he cared. Of course, Peter had always known how much Groot cared, but ever since he hit puberty, he had become such an obnoxious brat that, as his designated adoptive parents, Peter and Gamora had had trouble dealing with him.

But now, Peter could clearly see that Groot was trying to be strong when he himself couldn't. When Groot had heard about Gamora, he had shut everyone out, not talking to anyone, not even answering. Peter found him later, during their first night in Wakanda, outside the palace, on the edge of that giant field of grass that seemed to surround the whole place along with thick forests. Groot was sitting on the ground and talking softly to some kind of construction that wasn't bigger than Rocket himself. When Peter came to sit next to him, he took a better look at what the teen was doing and realized Groot had made a crown of branches and flowers that stood on its own, almost like an altar. The flowers on the crown were snow white tiger lilies from Nelar, Gamora's favorite flowers. Around them were smaller purple and pink buds looking like miniature roses that reminded Peter of Gamora's hair.

Peter's sobs only matched Groot's that night as they both sat there, looking at the crown of flowers and talking about their feelings like they hadn't in a long time. So it only felt right to Peter to ask Groot to come along with him the day after when he entered their quarters for the first time since her demise. Predictably, Peter broke down as soon as he saw Godslayer on their bed, just where he had left it before they went to Titan after he picked it up on Knowhere.

Still no more aware than five minutes earlier, Peter rose up from his chair, the bottle of Asgardian mead loosely set in his hand, the Zune in the other as he made his way to his former cabin. One of the good things with being back on the _Milano_ was the absence of triggers. Everything on the _Quadrant_ reminded him of her, from her favorite mug, to the training grounds. Hell, their whole quarters were never ending triggers. One glance at her clothes, her polishing tools, even her place on their bed or her smell on their cushions and Peter was sprawled on the ground like a five year old waking up from a nightmare. The only thing on the _Milano_ that reminded him really of her was Godslayer, but ever since that day he walked into their quarters on the _Quadrant_ with Groot, he kept it at his belt, guarding it as preciously as the Zune if not more.

Despite his drunkenness, he made his way to the shared shower, in the hopes of easing the tension that the alcohol couldn't make disappear. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, but maybe he could at least ease his mind a little bit. But as soon as he started rubbing the soap on his skin, he froze.

He had taken only one bath exactly since it all started, right after he was back from the ashes. Because he felt like crap and mostly because he didn't want to look like shit in front of the not-so-gorgeous other Avengers that Thor introduced him to. And he was so out of it, his mind not processing anything for the first few hours that he didn't pay attention to the shower at all. Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't even remember if he used some kind of soap.

Things were different this time around, because he wasn't lucid enough to avoid the shower altogether, but he was aware enough to get triggered by the freaking _bubbles_. As soon as he saw the transparent shapes form on his arm, he saw his gun pointed to Gamora's face, Thanos' giant purple hand keeping her right in front of him. He had promised and he kept his word, but pressing that trigger had been the most difficult thing he had ever done in his entire life. From that distance, he might as well have blown her head off.

The soap landed on the floor with a light _thud_ and Peter immediately turned the water to full pressure to make the remaining bubbles disappear. Hands pressed against the bathroom tiles, he tried to slow his breathing down. Instead of trying again to lather himself again, he climbed out of the shower, not even bothering to put a towel on. As soon as he found the Zune, he plugged it back to the console and played the second song on that cursed playlist. Because he just had to make her a romantic playlist and he couldn't bring himself to erase it. There was too many emotions, too many memories, good memories, in those songs.

He stepped again back into the shower and glared at the soap on the floor, trying to glare at it with that deadly glare that Gamora sometimes used. "No way I'm letting a bar of soap prevent me from taking a shower" he whispered under his breath. But it was easier said than done. So instead of trying to fight it with sheer will, he let of one his fondest memories crawl back to the front of his eyes as he grabbed the soap. He plugged his nose with the first tissue he could find and began scrubbing with his eyes closed, trusting his muscle memory to take care of the rest.

"But how can your eyes be hungry?" the Gamora from his memory asked as bubbles formed on his chest. He was glad for how loud he had set up the song so it covered the popping of the bubbles. Rocket would already be giving him shit for that if the circumstances were different and he wasn't cutting him some slack. Which Peter appreciated. "Your eyes do not need to eat" the Gamora from his memory continued.

Although she was confused by the lyrics of the song, she smiled as she laid on her back on their bed on the _Quadrant_ , listening to the Zune with Peter sprawled next to her, baby Groot (who looked more like a really small child now) between them.

"It's a saying, it's quite poetic actually. It's when I look at you like this." He wiggled his eyebrows at her before giving her this needy look, full of lust and love and all of the things she just _adored_ to see directed at her. "It's from one of those movies. My mom loved it, all singing and dancing and the love story is just amazing."

"Is it the one called Loose feet?"

Peter chuckled. "It's called Footloose, but no. That one is called Dirty Dancing and my mom saw it, like, five times in theaters when it came out." His smile retreated a bit with his next sentence. "It was actually the last movie she was able to see in theaters before she was too sick. And I've never seen it."

Gamora's hand found its way to his cheek. "If we go back to Earth some day, do you think we could be able to find this movie? Is there a place where there could be, maybe a copy somewhere?"

Peter smiled at that. "I think there is a chance, yeah. We could see it together."

"Then it's decided" she added with a smile and looked at him with equal desire.

"See? Now you're making the hungry eyes…"

"Shut up and kiss me Starlord."

Of course, Peter obliged, but they didn't get to do much more before they realized that Groot was still sitting between them, blissfully ignorant and listening to the music with his eyes closed.

All in all, Peter managed to shower, the memory keeping him distracted enough so that he wouldn't focus on the bubbles, but present enough so he could actually shower. He washed the remaining soap away as quickly as he could before drying himself off. Back in his room a few moments later and all of his senses back, he took the Zune with him and plugged his headphones so he wouldn't bother anyone else for the rest of the night.

And as he closed his eyes, Gamora's face and her hungry eyes were the only thing present behind his eyelids as he fell into a restless sleep, the words of the song dying on his lips.


	3. You know I'll always be your slave

There had been something comforting in the way he had turned to ash on Titan. It hadn't hurt, per say, and Peter couldn't really describe what it felt like to suddenly vanish. In truth, he hadn't felt anything, anything at all, no pain, no prickling feeling, no nausea, nothing. And as he watched Stark, he could only think that it was maybe a good thing he was going to die, because then he would get to see Gamora again.

The first thing he did when he was brought back was to smile, because he thought she was there with him, that he finally got to see her, that they would be reunited again and that it was all some kind of bad dream that he could joke about later. But no, she wasn't there and Thanos still wasn't defeated. So the next thing that came to Peter's mind after the sad realization that she wasn't back, was the question why? Why was he the one who got another chance and not her? She was the one who died trying to protect the universe. And what did Peter do? He just _snapped_. He understood Drax so much more now and never his respect for the big oaf had been higher, to be able to stay strong like that after losing his wife and daughter.

One of the things that pissed him off the most was the fact that she died alone. Every time he thought about how lonely she must have felt during those last moments, his heart constricted again, a hot white pain crushing it as if Thanos himself held his heart in the palm of his hand. And Peter didn't even knew how she had died, he didn't know if she suffered, how long it took and if her body was actually somewhere left to be collected.

Thinking about her body made it all too real, so he shook his head. He wasn't ready to think about Vormir. He didn't want to. It made it all too permanent, just like talking about her in the past tense. To be honest, none of the Guardians were able to do that yet, and the only time one of the Avengers had mentioned Gamora in the past tense, Rocket almost pounced on the poor fella. Peter was just too tired to really care and he wasn't delusional: he _knew_ she was gone, there was no denying it, but he wouldn't say it out loud. An awkward silence had followed and the dude with a metal arm changed the subject, much to everyone's relief.

So Peter stayed most of the time in his quarters, the latter currently being his old cabin on the _Milano_. Some of his mess was left, a picture here, a toy there, although he took the most important things to the _Quadrant_. And, if he remembered right, none of Gamora's things were left in her cabin, she was efficient that way. She didn't have many things anyway, explained that she was used to have very little and, since she traveled a lot before, she never brought much with her anyway. It didn't help that she had to leave everything behind when she betrayed Thanos, but she had assured Peter that the only important things were Godslayer and a small blade with a ruby inserted in the hilt. Unfortunately, she didn't have anything from Zen-Whoberi.

Peter had never asked about the ruby blade. He knew all there was to know about Godslayer, because he had often asked Gamora to regal him with epic fighting stories when they lay in bed at night, but he had never asked about the other blade. Somehow, from the way she rarely looked at it and the determination etched on her face when she did, he knew she didn't want to tell him about, that it was a secret she had buried so deep inside her that she might never actually tell him about it. And he respected her privacy and kept quiet. The only reason he knew about it was because he had seen her looking at it once in the cockpit during her shift, but as soon as he came closer she hid it.

He had seen her stab Thanos with it on Knowhere, had seen the red glint of the jewel when the illusion disappeared, had seen Thanos pick it up and hold it carefully. And in that moment, Peter just knew that it was the very first thing Thanos had given her and it was just fitting that she'd try to kill him with it.

Suddenly, he sat on his bed, plucking the Zune's headphones out of his ears as one specific song came up. He immediately saw her magenta curls swinging in front of his eyes, felt her slender hands on his shoulders, saw the way her smile shone even brighter than the sun. Suddenly, he was back on Ego, to that first dance that they shared, truly shared together.

And just like that, it was all too much and he couldn't breathe. The tears blinded him as sobs racked his body and he found himself bent in half on the small bed, hands balled in fists on the covers, his eyes squeezed shut so hard they might break. "Please, please make it stop." He begged, half whispering, half whining to nobody in particular. He could still hear the words of the song in his head, circling in a loop just like he had with Gamora on that balcony.

In one swift movement, without really knowing what he was doing, Peter brought one of his guns in his left hand and Godslayer in his right. He had actually thought about that for a while, because he just couldn't live without her. He had tried to live, krutak he had tried. But it was just too much. Gamora was his world, his star, his home. He just couldn't go on without her and as he looked at the weapons, he wondered which one would do the job quicker. He didn't care about the pain, he was becoming numb to it, but he wanted to see her really bad, to be able to hold her in his arms again, just like they used to.

He picked up Godslayer, pressed something on the side to bring out the fullest form of the sword and just stared at it. This blade had seen so much blood already, it probably wouldn't mind a bit more, especially since Peter truly believed (although jokingly) that Gamora would be the death of him someday. He had been ready to kill her with his own gun, it was only fitting that her blade would end him.

But as he grabbed the sword more firmly, brushing the metal and intricate patterns on the blade with his fingertips, he realized that he just couldn't do it. Because Gamora wouldn't want him to. Because she'd want him to keep on living for her, to take care of the others, to make good like they used to do. And he could just picture the face she'd make had she been there in that cabin with him. How disappointed but also heartbroken she'd look when she'd realize how far he was gonna go, how much he was hurting. He could also imagine her saddened face when she'd see him so quickly after everything and learn that he had decided to take him own life.

He didn't want to disappoint her, even in death, and so he put Godslayer down, retracting it to its holster form. "I'll try," he said. "I'll try, but it's so hard, Gams, you have no idea…" He sniffed and wiped his eyes on his sleeves. "I miss you so freaking much."

It took him another half hour to calm down and the Zune was long forgotten by then, when Peter stood up and replaced the weapons on his belt, taking extra care with Godslayer. He knew it would be difficult and that this breakdown wouldn't be the last one, but just like he had promised her to kill her if Thanos captured her, he promised her, there and then, that he wouldn't take his own life just to see her again. But if he was to die trying to kill Thanos, so be it.

When he opened the door to his cabin, Mantis almost fell by leaning on his door.

"Were you spying on me?" Peter asked, but there was no anger in his voice, only surprise mixed with the lingering sadness that followed him everywhere and gave the impression his voice would break at any moment.

"I'm sorry, I know it's rude but…" Mantis was looking frantically around, as if afraid that someone else had seen what she was doing. "Can we talk?"

Peter nodded and sat at the table, the one they used to strategize on, back in the days when Mantis and Kraglin weren't part of the team yet. He patiently waited for Mantis to gather up her thoughts, he could almost see the gears turning in her head and the way she tried to make up different speeches, not knowing which way was the best to bring up whatever she wanted to tell him. Any other day, he would have made a sarcastic comment on how long Mantis was taking to formulate her ideas, but given the fact they had all been patient with him and given him space, the least he could do was do the same.

"I didn't mean to spy, but earlier during lunch I… When I brushed past you, I felt your distress and… I didn't want to intrude; I didn't want to make that choice for you. So I waited outside, hoping that you'd choose to stay. I'm sorry Peter, I shouldn't have…"

"It's okay," he said, interrupting her rambling. "I… I didn't know what to do. I still don't. I… I love you guys, you know that. But I love Gamora so much… it's hard. It's gonna be hard for a while, maybe forever but… I know she wouldn't want me to do it, she'd want us to stay a family no matter what. So that's what I'm gonna do. I'll try not to do that again, not to think about… about ending it like this again."

He let out a shuddering breathe and almost laughed softly as he noticed something. "You know, for a bunch of losers, some of us make surprisingly good shrinks."

"What's a shrink?" Mantis then asked and Peter almost whished he hadn't said anything.

"Well it's… on Earth, that's the job of some people who listen to other people's problems and they try to help them with these problems."

"So I manage to help you?"

"Yeah, you do. All of you do." He looked at his hands for a moment, before quietly adding "Thank you."

Mantis smiled, a real honest and not creepy smile, before she stood up. "You're welcome." She still kept an eye on him during the next hours, just to make sure, but she never touched him without permission, not wanting to cross a line she had already crossed too many times. And as Peter watched her go, his fingers tapped the side of Godslayer at his belt in rhythm with one of Gamora's and his favorite songs.


	4. And I need you now tonight

They hadn't heard from Nebula and Drax in a few days. Rocket wasn't particularly worried though, seeing as it had taken them a long while to bring back those turned into dust. He didn't know a thing about Peter's breakdown because Mantis hadn't told a soul, believing it was not her role to tell, it was Peter's if he wanted to. They had gone to Xandar, to check things there and Thanos really did a number on the planet when he claimed the Power Stone and then half the remaining population had been wiped. Now, people were starting to get their lives back and the Nova Corps were busy as hell trying to rebuild the city.

When Nova Prime asked to meet the Guardians, Peter declined and stayed on the _Milano_ as the others went. While not approving such behavior, Nova Prime understood Peter's situation and didn't say anything about it, not that Peter cared.

It's during their last night on Xandar that Kraglin knocked on Peter's door. "Hey man, do you need something?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, I need you to come with me." Kraglin lifted a bottle of what looked like cheap wine, the kind they used to drink as Ravageurs after a job, and two glasses. "I could use some company."

Peter hesitated. "Listen man, it's nothing against you…"

"Pete." Kraglin sighed. "Although I could never truly understand what you're going through, I get it. You need time, space, quiet. We get that. And I'm not pushing or anything, but I think it'll be good for you to come and have a drink with me, just like two old pals." He looked at the ground. "I understand if you don't want to but, uh, I thought, maybe since it's the captain's…"

Peter's eyes widened and he walked back into the cabin, only to grab his jacket. "Of course, how could I forget. Let's go." He smiled at Kraglin, a small shy smile, but a smile nonetheless and both former Ravageurs made their way to the empty cockpit. The others had gone to the city to do whatever they wanted, Peter didn't even know. But he was kinda glad it was just him and Krags that night.

Each sat in their own chair, right next to each other and Peter did his best not to look at the chair Gamora usually sat in. No one had dared to sit there since she was gone, not even when other people were around and there was nowhere else to sit. Probably because when the Spider kid had wanted to sit in it once, Rocket almost bit his head off.

Kraglin poured a healthy amount of liquid in each glass before handing one to Peter. It wasn't wine though and Peter almost spit out the swig he just took. "Is that…"

"Yep." Kraglin simply said before swinging one leg over the armrest of his chair. "That's the Centaurian scotch the captain used to drink all the time."

"It hasn't gotten better with time," noticed Peter, but kept on drinking anyway. "I'm sorry I forgot about Yondu's birthday, Krags."

"It's okay Pete, you had your reasons."

"No, it's not okay." He stayed quiet for a moment while Kraglin drank and refilled his glass. "I didn't want to talk about it, about Gamora, because it hurts too much." At this, Kraglin stopped drinking and listened to him while a song on the Zune played in the background. "I… I know I've said it so many times, but I love her so much."

He turned towards the glass panels of the cockpit that showed the platform on which they had landed. They couldn't see people from their vantage point, but they had a perfect view on one of Xandar's ports. The sun had settled in the sky, painting the sky in orange and pink hues, covering the clouds in golden powder. Some birds were sitting on the outside of the cockpit, living their lives and chirping from time to time.

When Peter turned to Gamora's chair, he thought he saw her there. In the recent months, she had taken a liking to sit rather messily in her chair during their longest travels, not giving a shit anymore, just sitting like she wanted to and singing along with Peter, Drax's booming voice answering them with distorted lyrics if he wasn't snoring. She seemed to wave at him from her chair and he could hear her voice, singing along to the song that the Zune was playing. The illusion dissipated when she laughed and Peter turned his gaze back to Kraglin.

"Yondu liked her, you know?" Kraglin said out of the blue. "And me too after I got to know her better."

"Yeah?"

Kraglin nodded and flashed him a silver tooth. "How could I not like a woman who could whip your ass so spectacularly?"

Peter genuinely laughed for the first time in what seemed like years. They drank in silence for the next minutes before Kraglin spoke again. "I didn't say it before so I'm gonna say it now. I'm sorry Pete." Peter didn't say anything to that, his throat suddenly tight.

"There… there was this time." Peter began after a moment. "You were away with Groot on a supply run for two days when we stopped on that planet in the third quadrant. We all went out for drinks and I got so wasted, I did the dumbest thing ever."

"What d'you do?" Kraglin asked, curious and smiling broadly.

"I got so drunk that I flirted with Gamora. Now, that is not surprising." Kraglin rolled his eyes as if to say, _duh_. "But it got to the point where I asked her if she was single." Kraglin burst out laughing. "Wait, it gets better! Drax makes fun of me to this day for that. Because I started crying, right in the middle of the freaking bar, when Gamora told me she wasn't!" Kraglin almost fell off his chair he was laughing so much.

Both men laughed and kept on telling stories, Peter looking a little bit more like himself as the hours rolled by. They reminisced about the good old days, told each other stories about Yondu, remembering the captain and his habits, the good and the bad. They talked about the recent years, each recounting his favorite memories of Yondu, but also of Gamora and of every shipmate they had lost. Many hours later, long after the others came back and went to bed, just as the sun was starting to rise, Peter refused another glass.

"I'm good." Then he looked at his glass, as if not believing he drank that much. "I seriously don't know how Yondu could drink so much of that shit!"

"Me neither," Kraglin said but kept on drinking anyway, shrugging his shoulders when Peter threw him a questioning look.

"Thanks for that night, man. It was good to talk."

Kraglin grinned. "Anytime."

And that's when a communication came through, Peter sobering up immediately. "Nebula, how are you guys doing?" The blue cyborg's face appeared on the screen. She had a deep cut on her forehead and clutched her arm protectively, but seemed fine otherwise. "I've seen worse." Then after a second or two. "We're fine. The big oaf took a hit to the head, so he's out for a while, but he'll be fine."

Kraglin pushed Peter out of the way slightly, his drink sloshing dangerously above Peter's groin as he put his face in front of the screen. "'s got a thick skull. 'e'll be fine. Hi Nebs!"

"Hi moron," Nebula answered through gritted teeth although Peter could see she wasn't angry or aggressive, it was just her way of showing she cared. Nebula's way of communicating had improved over the course of the last four years, but they still had a long way to go.

"What's up?" Peter asked after he pushed Kraglin out of the way, hissing when droplets of scotch landed on his pants.

"We caught up with Thanos. He actually put up a big fight and we were barely able to stand up to him." Nebula then rummaged in her pockets before pulling something closer to the screen. It was an orange gem that Peter would recognize anywhere. "I had a deal with the others. We'd do everything we can to get the Time Stone only if I got to the Soul Stone first. And here we are."

Peter was impressed and didn't even try to hide it. "How'd you do it?"

"I managed to grab the two stones at the same time while the others held Thanos down. The power of the stones almost blew my arm off, but the gauntlet is acting out. We're hit pretty bad, won't be able to run after him for another day or so, but no one's dead."

"At least you still got your arm!" someone yelled behind her. The camera shifted as Nebula turned to glare at James Barnes whose metal arm was missing.

"Anyway, we're gonna need all the help we can get to beat him. He's getting stronger again even with the stones acting up. As if he had absorbed part of their power when he used all six stones the first time around."

"That's not good." Nebula rolled her eyes at that.

"So we're coming back to Terra, to that hot place. The Strange idiot think we might be able to use the Time Stone properly back on Earth." She paused for a second. "You know what you have to do, right Quill?"

Peter blinked at that and Nebula sighed. "I'm not like the rest of your crew and I won't treat you as if you might break. Now that I have the Soul Stone, she has a chance, I don't know how big, but still."

Peter swallowed hard. "I'll… I'll think about it."

"You've got three days. That's the time it'll take us to go back to Terra, after we treat the injured." And just like that, she ended the communication, leaving Peter with his thoughts and a small spark of hope building in the pit of his stomach.


	5. Baby, you're all that I want

The _Quadrant_ was quiet during that time of night, which wasn't surprising given how large the ship actually was. If he focused enough, Peter could hear the low rumbling of the engines in the distance, Rocket having the ship on autopilot during his shift, since nothing came to bother then during the last couple of days. Sometimes, they didn't encounter a living soul for days on end while they travelled through space. Not that Peter complained, he'd rather spend a few days bored out of his mind than face another fleet of Sovereign ships.

Gamora expected an attack, but she had been expecting one for the last three years and nothing happened. Peter wasn't careless though and kept that in a corner of his mind, but he was also kinda hoping that the golden Priestess would leave them alone. Three years had already past, but he knew people could hold grudges for longer than that.

As per usual, the Zune was playing softly in the background as Peter stroked the length of Gamora's arm, her head resting on his chest as he waited for her to come back from her high. She was always quicker to recover from an orgasm, body mods and all, which only fueled Peter's determination to change that and make her see the stars. With his other hand, he stroked her damp hair, still soft and beautiful despite the sweat.

"God, you're beautiful," he said softly, gaze lost in the forest of her curls, the bright magenta barely visible in the semi-darkness.

She chuckled at that and her breath tickled his chest, sending shivers down his spine. She propped herself on her elbows and looked at him, face flushed and slightly out of breath. The silver scars on her face almost shone in the dark, glistening like carvings in a gorgeous piece of wood. He just loved when she looked at him like that, the lust still present in her eyes, but accompanying something much deeper, something that created butterflies in his stomach and made his heart race.

"You're not so bad yourself, _Starlord_." There it was again, that little accent on the letter A. Gamora was very good at hiding her accent and truthfully, he wouldn't know she had one if she hadn't let it come out. It was during one night of lovemaking that she let it slip, caught in the moment and hadn't realized it until Peter stopped moving and raised an eyebrow at her. She had explained to him, that there was this sound, like a vowel, in her native language that was used in most pet names and that this sound was unique to Zen-Whoberei people. She couldn't really explain it, but for Gamora, it had always been associated with love and devotion, as she remembered hearing that sound often when her parents were addressing each other. Unfortunately, she couldn't remember any words in Zen-Whoberi, but that sound resembled the most the letter A from Peter's perspective. And when Gamora was really caught in the moment during intimacy, she sometimes used it.

Gamora then rested her chin on her joined hands atop Peter's chest. "I really liked what you did back there," she suddenly said, almost sheepishly, a gentle smile adorning her lush green lips, darker from all the kissing.

"Yeah?" He kinda guessed himself from the way he sent her over the edge. Making love to Gamora and being able to reach his peek in unison with her was probably his favorite feeling in the whole world, but he also liked to see her go over the edge, to be able to see the raw pleasure in her eyes and to simply hold her. There was something almost sacred there, in the way she allowed him to pleasure her and trusted him to take care of her afterwards. He loved being the reason that made her heart race, that quickened her breathing, that made her blush, that made her make those crazy sounds he adored. Because he wasn't just sleeping with a beautiful woman, he was making love to the woman of his life.

It took them a while to add sex to the list of things they just did, because, although they trusted each other, that unspoken thing between them was much more complex than just a need for release. They both wanted the other, but they both cared more about the happiness of the other than their own and they had different experiences. Peter had told Gamora about his womanizing days, his craving for physical contact, for meaningful contact. Gamora on the other hand, had never allowed herself to experience pleasure, it was always a means to an end, whether her own release or a better way to assassinate someone.

It took them a while to figure each other out, to dare cross that line. It didn't help that Gamora's first experience in that domain had been traumatizing when she had been assaulted then raped on Tartoonla IV. Peter knew about that, Gamora having told him once and he held her as she cried in his arms, and he tried not to think about that too often. Because Gamora assured him that he was the first person with whom these acts of intimacy were worth it, the first person that mattered, the first one whom she trusted completely not to hurt her. He actually cried when she told him that.

After a few minutes, Gamora looked at Peter again and brought their lips together, feeling him smile in her mouth. Her dark doe eyes then caught his own sea blue gaze and she bit her lips before saying "I love you." It was so soft and sudden that Peter wondered if he hadn't dreamed it. But the sincerity etched on Gamora's face, her soft smile and the slight blush gradually making its way on her cheeks told him he heard her right.

He had told her he loved her countless times before and he had meant every single one of them. He also knew Gamora loved him just as much. But they also both knew that he was a creature of words and she was a creature of action. That he expressed his feelings through words and she through actions. So hearing her say those words was like Christmas in advance. His smile couldn't have been broader and he kissed her so much after that, he had the feeling his lips might fall off.

Later in the night, Gamora would find herself awake, not because she wasn't enjoying Peter's company (or because his snoring woke her up) but because her body was used to sleep a certain minimum amount of time and she could immediately start her day when rested, thanks to her cybernetics. She was usually the first one to wake up and, if Peter didn't seem like waking anytime soon, she'd go train for a while before making breakfast (or at least setting up the coffee, because Drax had made it a habit to make everyone breakfast). Not that she would complain, because, despite the fact they took turns cooking, just like they took turns cleaning the ship and standing guard at night, Drax was the best cook in their team. Although, she still would not eat that weird grey pudding he had once made, the smell alone making her gag (the others didn't have any issue with it though, besides Groot who didn't eat any meat).

But when Peter seemed to be in a light sleep and Gamora felt like she would wake him up at the slightest movement, she stayed in bed with him and waited for him to wake up on his own. Gamora cherished these moments of tranquility because it allowed her to think about anything without being plagued by negative thoughts, Peter's arms around her always managing to make her feel relaxed. She smiled softly as she remembered the first time they had slept together and in the same bed, that when she felt his arms around her, she had panicked and kicked him out of bed before realizing it was him. It took her a few weeks to get used to sleeping next to someone else, and Peter had actually been surprised to discover she likes to cuddle. They also had an unspoken rule, that whenever one of them had a nightmare, the other would be the big spoon and comfort them in their sleep.

This time, he had only one arm draped around her waist and she slowly turned around to face him without waking him up and moving his arm too much. She took in his peaceful face, smiling despite herself at how domestic they were acting. She quite liked it actually, to finally be able to find a semblance of balance, surrounded by her loved ones. She was going to enjoy it while it lasted, daring to hope it would last long enough for them to grow old. But she also knew that, someday, it would end. Someday, Thanos would come and ruin everything.

When she was taken from her planet, she believed she'd die before her twentieth birthday. After Tartoonla and when she started killing for Thanos, she was certain she wouldn't live after thirty, that she'd die in a ditch somewhere after a mission went wrong. After escaping the Kyln, she was sure she had less than a month to live, that it would all end with Ronan and she was prepared to go down, always had been since the day she met Thanos, since the day her world crumpled to dust. After Ronan, she believed she had two more years, maybe three. Now, she didn't know and she was tired of counting, of dreading another deadline and being surprised that she actually lived longer than she thought she would.

Now, she dared to hope she didn't need to count anymore, didn't need to expect it to end. That if it came, she was glad she had all those years with Peter and the Guardians. That she was blessed enough to be able to wake up every day next to Peter for the better part of the last three years. So she closed her eyes, snuggled closer to Peter and waited for him to wake up.


	6. All I need is the air that I breathe

For once, Peter awoke because of a rough landing instead of a nightmare. It's only when he grabbed at the sheets on the left side of the bed, and ultimately nearly fell off the said bed because it was so small, that he realized he was aboard the _Milano_ , not the _Quadrant_. And of course, Gamora wasn't with him. Like every single time he woke up since he was back from dustland (that's what he's been calling his death, he needed the humor to remain sane with all the shit that he's going through), he spent five good minutes just sitting on his bed, shoulders hunched and face in his hands, trying to motivate himself to actually lift his ass off the bed.

"Hey, Pete! We've just arrived in Wakanda, like you wanted!" Rocket yelled from the other side of the cabin door.

"Thanks, I'll be right there."

He heard the distinct small noise Rocket's paws made disappear in the distance and sighed. "Right, morning routine." It mostly consisted of dressing up for the day (because a shower was only for a special occasion until he figured out how to deal with the triggering bubbles), combing his hair (with his fingers in two seconds tops), brushing his teeth (despite the fact that the person who had required that was no longer there) and making sure he had everything important with him, meaning Godslayer, his guns, the Zune and his helmet.

He met the others in the cockpit after grabbing a ration bar and everyone nodded at his arrival. "So, what's the plan, Pete?" Rocket asked as he turned in his chair, pressing a few more controls on the panel in front of him to get the _Milano_ settled on the ground and to shut the engines.

Peter hadn't told them what he had in mind. He had explained what Nebula had told him the other day, but nothing about what he was going to do with that information. Rocket was actually expecting them to go to Vormir, where he hoped Gamora's body still was, but Peter had asked to go back to Earth and Rocket didn't question it. He figured Peter wanted to meet with Nebula and Drax first.

"We're picking Nebula and Drax up," Peter answered, munching on the bar. "And also that Strange dude."

"The wizard?" Mantis asked.

Peter nodded. "Yep. The guy knows how to use the Time Stone, he might know how to use the Soul Stone. Or at least give us some tips, I don't know. He's supposed to be smart."

"So, we're all going?" Kraglin asked.

"If you want to." He finished eating and noticed that the others were silently looking at him. "I'd like it if you'd all come."

Everyone nodded and got ready once Peter said they'd be taking the _Milano_ , in case they encountered some problems on the way to Vormir. It was best to leave their biggest ship on Earth, in case it was needed to fight Thanos.

Peter had never been to Wakanda, hell, he didn't even know it existed! Rocket had told them what had happened there during the battle with Thanos and afterwards so Peter knew what to expect. Hot, dry and lush climate, got it. They walked down the ramp of the _Milano_ inside of a city like Peter had never seen before. A black man, elegantly dressed and surrounded by female warriors, greeted them.

"My name is T'Challa, king of Wakanda. You are most welcome in my country." He said to Peter and they shook hands. He nodded at Rocket and Groot before leading them all towards his palace.

Peter had to say, the old him would have had a field day there because of all the riches he would have dreamed of stealing. But the new him was intimidated by all the wealth and pompous interiors, especially since he was used to very little and poor quality. Even in the last couple of years, the Guardians hadn't lived in the best conditions, that's just who they were, heroes and outlaws, doing a bit of both good and bad, although they mostly stayed on the good side of the spectrum, at least seven times out of ten.

During that day, Peter got to meet all the people with whom Rocket and Nebula had been during dust time and he was certain he wouldn't remember all their names. He was glad though to see the Spider kid again. Not everyone was there though, Stark for instance was missing.

"We've contacted Stephen Strange. He'll be here in a couple of hours." A certain Bruce Banner informed them. "He's coming from New York." Peter had no idea how the dude would be able to travel from the East Coast to Africa in such a short notice, but he didn't comment. T'Challa then took him to another wing of the palace, where those who had recently fought Thanos were resting.

Drax almost broke his ribs when he pulled him in a bear hug, as soon as the doors to the wing were opened. "It's so good to see you my friends!" He boomed.

Peter patted him gently on the back before motioning to the bandage on his head. "You okay there?"

Drax grabbed the bandage and properly tore it off, throwing it on the ground. "This is nothing. My skull is thick enough to resist such puny hits!" Peter was glad to hear that. He looked for Nebula, but she was nowhere to be seen. Go figure. So they all agreed to eat with everyone while waiting for Strange to come.

As much as Peter liked everyone's company and made an effort to be social and stayed for an entire hour at the table, exchanging pop culture references with the Spider kid and a certain Steve Rogers (who seemed to be as lost as him sometimes when it came to modern culture), Peter ended up excusing himself. Rocket promised to tell him as soon as Strange would arrive.

"Man! I've got to show you the Internet!" The other Peter said as Peter was making his way out of the room, nodding to show he had heard. As soon as he closed the door behind him, he put his headphones on and found himself a chair on a balcony to sit in.

As the lyrics and sweet melody filled his head, he looked at the scenery in front of him. Gamora would have loved it here. She was always fond of lush green planets where the vegetation was abundant, something she shared with Groot. Despite her assassin background, she really enjoyed nature, especially how she always felt at peace in such places. She had also told Peter that Zen-Whoberi was a planet rich in forests and cliffs, that nature had an important place in her people's culture.

After a few minutes, he stood up and placed his elbows on the balcony, admiring the view and hearing the noises of different exotic animals despite the music in his ears. He turned, hearing footsteps behind him and took off the headphones as Nebula came to stand next to him.

"She'll like it here," she simply said while her eyes skimmed over the horizon as if she was contemplating something beautiful she'd never have. Then she opened her left fist, the Soul Stone shining in her hand, catching the rays of the sun like a disco ball.

"Strange is on the way. He might know something interesting." Nebula simply nodded at that, then closed her fist and held onto the stone, silently telling Peter she was coming with them. He didn't even need to ask, he just knew she would. He had seen her interact with Gamora during the past few years, how their relationship had evolved. It wasn't perfect, but it had never been as good as during the last three months. And he had also seen her face when she realized what had happened to Gamora on Vormir. She was as invested in this as Peter.

When Strange arrived, the Guardians met him in a smaller room, to be able to discuss the best course of action without being interrupted. Also, Peter preferred the smaller committee, since Gamora's saving only concerned the Guardians. Strange explained to them, the best he could, that the Soul Stone contained a realm in which a lot of souls had probably been imprisoned during the centuries. He said that there was a chance Gamora's soul had been trapped in there after the sacrifice. So if they could just retrieve her body, find her soul in the Soul World, they might be able to bring her back.

"There is a slight issue, though," remarked Strange. "It's been more than a week since she died. Her body might not be in good shape."

"Her cybernetics might have prevented her body from decomposing, at least for a while," Nebula said, sulking in a corner, with her arms crossed on her chest and her usual angry resting face. "We need to see for ourselves."

"Could you access this realm?" Peter asked.

"I can send someone there. It's finding her once inside that's going to be difficult." Strange answered, to which Peter nodded.

"Okay, then let's do this."

They told the Avengers of their plan, T'Challa and the others whishing them good luck. Thor promised to keep an eye on the _Quadrant_ just in case and all the Guardians, along with Strange, departed aboard the _Milano_. And once the engines of the ship roared to life, Peter plugged in the Zune and set the volume to the highest, back to his former self or at least beginning to be.


	7. Yeah I, will love you, baby

"No, I'm telling you, this song was actually recorded and released in 1994 and not 1995. Whatever is said on that device of yours, well it's wrong," Strange said. Peter couldn't believe it.

"It's called a Zune."

"Never heard of it."

"Really? 'Cause it's like the pinnacle of human technology when it comes to music," Peter said proudly, to which Strange only rolled his eyes.

"Stark really needs to hook you up with an iPhone."

"A what now?"

"Are you done?" Nebula asked from her spot on Groot's chair. The teen didn't seem to mind her taking his place and was back in one of the cabins. "We're there."

Peter immediately forgot all about Bon Jovi and the argument he was having with Strange about a song that, truthfully, wasn't really his style, but the lyrics were too good to leave out of the romantic playlist. Besides, he thought he was broadening their horizons by adding a little bit of hard rock and surprisingly, Drax seemed to be the one who liked that song the most. It was one of two that were released after Peter left Earth, but the Zune had a large discography.

Peter swallowed with difficulty as the _Milano_ approached Vormir. They didn't exactly know where to go, since Nebula had never actually seen the map Gamora had told her about, but they were somehow drawn to that giant mountain with the ruins of some kind of temple on top. Peter wasn't sure, but it seemed like a good place as any for a sacrifice. The thought made him shudder and he tried to gather his courage during the time it took them to approach the mountain.

They were gonna do this, it was time and Peter knew it was the right thing to do, that, whatever actually happened and if they managed to bring Gamora back or not, he needed to see her body. To be sure. It was the only way he could ever be at peace and he felt deep down in his very soul that he needed to know, that this was one of those times when he just couldn't leave the door half-opened. It was close it or open it.

"She's down there, turn the ship around, a little bit to the right, there should be a cliff…" As soon as Strange said that, all the color was drained from Peter's face. He had imagined dozens of ways she could have died, some more gruesome than others, mostly fueled by his nightmares. And in the nightmares, he had seen her broken several times, limbs distorted like he had once seen Nebula after a rough mission when she was sticking with them for a while. And thinking about that now almost made him gag.

So he tried to focus on the music and tapped his fingers on the edge of her sword, hanging from his belt. Strange kept on instructing Rocket, somehow being able to sense Gamora's body with his wizard like powers. After what felt like an hour but couldn't be more than a couple of minutes, Rocket maneuvered the ship down the cliff. Groot's voice caught in his throat when he saw Gamora's body first and Peter instinctively looked.

There was a form on the ground, partially covered by snow, but he could just make out the faintest glint of black leather and red strands of hair. His gaze didn't linger more than a few seconds, but Peter was certain it was her. So he forced his eyes to remain dry by leaving the cockpit, being the first one at the door, waiting for Rocket to land. Nebula was by his side in an instant and for a moment, Peter felt overly protective and was ready to race her to have the privilege of being the first one by her side.

But Nebula stayed a step back, as if to tell that she'd let Peter go first and when he looked at her face, he could almost see anxiety, dread maybe? And then he got it: she was as scared to go there as he was.

Rocket landed the ship a good thirty feet from the place where Gamora was, as if not to disturb her. Peter and Nebula were the first ones out the door in an instant, but neither seemed to want to go ahead. Putting on a brave face, Peter stepped forward. Every single step Peter took was like walking waist deep in mud. The world seemed to disappear around him as the corners of his vision turned black and his skull was rattled at every single step, as if his feet were those of a giant shaking the earth. He didn't stop to see if the others were coming, didn't even notice that Nebula wasn't following him.

He could feel the cold on his skin, the snow falling all around him, lodging itself in his hair, gathering on the hardened leather covering his shoulders, scrunching under his boots. His heart threatened to explode at every slow and painful step. But he couldn't stop and the only thing he saw was her. The closer he got, the cleared things became. How her body was distorted, her limbs bent at unnatural angles. If not for the sickening position, he could have believed she was asleep. So still and unmoving, not even breathing.

He eventually reached her and fell to his knees, his trembling hands brushing away the snow on her face. She was so cold to the touch, Peter's fingertips hurt as if he'd been shoveling snow for hours with his bare hands. Somehow he knew it was best not to move her too much so he simply brushed the rest of the snow away, his eyes never leaving her face. The lush green of her skin was paler than usual and ice patterns had covered it, making her look like a frozen goddess. The blood that dripped from her mouth and nose had also frozen, bitterly reminding Peter of the reality of the situation.

The more he sat there on his knees next to her, the more he noticed her injuries: the pool of frozen blood under her head and chest, the sickening caving in her ribcage, the edges of the bones sticking out in her left arm and right leg. He couldn't deny the irony of the situation: she was gone and yet somehow, nature had decided to preserve her body, a fallen warrior forever frozen for the world to be cruelly reminded what a price they had to pay.

Peter didn't hear Nebula coming to sit opposite him on the other side of Gamora's body as he gently brushed his fingers to the side of her neck, only feeling the cold pellicle of ice covering her entire body like a fragile shell. It reminded him of that tale about Snow White in her glass coffin. He only lifted his head to look at Nebula when he heard her cry, tears falling down her right eye. It didn't last long and Nebula hastily wiped her face, but she didn't threaten Peter to never tell anyone and he didn't say anything.

"She died on impact," Nebula then said, still not looking at Peter. The way she said it and the blunt truth of it made Peter shiver. Suddenly he was a kid once again, watching his own mother die. "She died here. Alone. And I could have… I could have done something, if I'd followed them! I knew they were coming here and all I did was tell you guys and then leave for Titan."

"Hey, there's nothing you could have done." Peter hesitated before he placed his hand on her cybernetic arm, wondering only for a second what were the odds of her biting his hand off. "There was nothing we both could have done. When I… when I watched him take her on Knowhere and just disappear…He was too powerful, for you, for me, for her. But we'll make this right."

Nebula gently stroked her sister's cheek, her fingertips melting the thin crust of ice and for a moment, it was all they could do, just sit there and listen to the almost imperceptible sound of the ice layer breaking.

"We should get to work, if we're going to bring her back." Peter slightly smiled at that. He appreciated that Nebula didn't mention their odds, didn't say that there was a possibility they'd fail. She lifted her arm and motioned for the rest of the crew to come and Mantis tried to stifle her sobs.

"We should be careful when we move her, I'll check her mods before that." And with that she slowly proceeded to slip her hands under Gamora's body, slowly breaking the ice pinning her to the floor. It burst in several places around the angles and curves of her body, a white powder floating in the air. For a moment, Nebula seemed to look for something, a fierce determination replacing the sadness on her features. "Okay, her spine seems mostly intact, which is a miracle given her fall. The mods there are active."

"Meaning?" Peter asked.

"It means that when she'll wake up, she'll be able to move, since her skeleton is in good shape, she won't have to deal with any form of paralysis. There's probably just of couple of wires to replace, nothing major." She then proceeded to check Gamora's eyes, which were glassy and lifeless, her eyelids half closed. "Her eyes are fine. Her lungs though…" Nebula bit her lip for a fraction of a second before gesturing to Gamora's chest. "She had implants in her lungs, just like me. Also, nano implants in her muscles in general, but these are fine. It's her chest I'm worried about, she might have troubling breathing."

She then rose to her feet while everyone looked at her. "Her body mods, although they couldn't save her, they managed to preserve her body long enough to avoid any permanent damage. The snow also helped. But we still need to be careful. We need a stretcher and we need to keep her body cold until we bring her back."

At that, Rocket went with Groot to fetch a stretcher and buckets that Drax and Mantis started filling with snow and ice to bring on the ship. "Were should we do it?" Peter asked Strange who was looking at Gamora with a bit of admiration and pity.

"Preferably, on your ship. I don't know how long it's going to take you to find her soul and your body will be defenseless. We can't leave you out here in the cold to die while you're looking for her. Besides, we'll need to tend to her injuries as soon as she's back, we can't lose any time in between the procedures. Do you have some surgery equipment aboard?"

Rocket was the one to answer. "I have specific tools for Gamy's mods, since I've been the one helping her out with them. Same goes for me. But I'm not sure I'll be able to repair her entirely, not with the broken ribs getting in the way."

Strange smiled. "You're lucky then. I'm also an exceptional surgeon."

Once they had settled Gamora in their former common room, propped on the table and surrounded by ice and snow, Kraglin got them out of there. As not to disturb the whole procedure, he flew the ship almost leisurely while Rocket diverted a pipe in the cooling system towards the table where Gamora lay to help keep her body cold. Groot was standing there with a thermometer planted in the snow, standing strong, a serious look on his face that said he wasn't going to screw up his mission.

Peter sat in a chair next to the table, holding Gamora's hand in his own. "You sure you're ready for this?" Strange asked him one last time. "Infinity Stones are powerful."

"Relax man, I've held the Power Stone once."

"That was before you lost your powers," Rocket reminded him but Peter's determination didn't waver. Instead, he opened his other palm and Nebula placed the Soul Stone in it. Strange then proceeded to make weird gesture around the stone.

"The Soul World looks like nothing you've seen before, you'll know you're there once you get there. Try to find her but don't panic. Time and space don't work the same way here and there. Once you find her, tell her what we're doing. She has to be willing to come back. You need to feel a connection to her. If what the rodent here said is true about your relationship, then it shouldn't be a problem." Peter grinned at that. "Now close your eyes. I'm about to begin."


	8. They say in heaven, love comes first

For the first moments after he closed his eyes, Peter couldn't really feel his body. He feared he was turning to dust again and desperately tried to grab at his arms, his legs, anything that would confirm that he was not turning to ashes again. But the weird feeling was gone as soon as it came and Peter found himself in a completely different place.

He gasped at the immensity of it all. All around him there were mountains made of golden smoke and he wondered if his hand would go through them if he got close enough. Nothing seemed stable, nothing seemed real. He wondered if he had finally arrived in this Soul World, or if this was just another step on the way.

He lifted his hand in front of him as he took the first steps and, with the loud echo of a drop falling, the mountains of smoke dissipated, leaving nothing but a yellow horizon. Peter looked down at his feet and almost jumped when he realized he was walking on water. Actual water. He tried jumping, but his body wouldn't go deeper, as if he was walking on a glassy surface made of water.

He heard a soft noise behind him, like the flapping wings of a bird, but there was nothing there. And the water was gone, leaving him standing on solid ground of a dull grey color. The flapping of wings echoed all around him and despite how much Peter turned, he didn't see a bird, didn't see a thing besides the emptiness that seemed to stretch on and on and on. So he resumed walking.

Every now and then, he would encounter something made out of smoke, a tree here, a rock there. He heard whispers, voices he didn't know and figured he couldn't recognize because they were the souls trapped in this world. He kept on thinking about Gamora and the more he thought about their time together, the more solid the world around him started to become, as if shaping itself according to his thoughts, to his memories. He saw a part of the _Milano_ there, some scenery of a planet they had visited here, but nothing that made any sense, nothing that had a beginning or an end. It felt like everything around him was constantly shifting, like someone was beginning to give him a semblance of normality before brutally taking it away and replacing it with smoke.

But he kept on walking, he kept on thinking about her, trying to picture her smiling, not the broken body they found on Vormir. He pictured her laughting, heard it echoing inside his own head and kept on walking. He didn't know how long he was inside this world, if he was even close to finding Gamora, but he kept on walking, passing the time by thinking about her, remembering his fondest memories with her.

"I love you, more than anything."

This time, he froze. In front of him, the scenery had changed, once again. He was in a clearing, with a forest of golden dust trees on the right and a small spring stream of silver droplets on the left. Diamond flowers that looked as if they were made of pure jewels glistened on the ground and turned into kaleidoscopic powder when he brushed them.

A silhouette was standing in the middle of the clearing, back turned to him. He would recognize her leather jacket everywhere, her magenta dyed curls, the silver rings adorning every single one of her fingers except the ring finger of each hand, as if left bare on purpose. Now that he thought about it, he never saw her wear rings on that specific finger, on either hand, and he wondered if Gamora knew about the wedding band earth tradition, if her people had something similar or if it was just a coincidence.

"I love you too," he said, barely above a whisper but she turned. She _turned_ and his heart _stopped_.

He half expected her body to turn to smoke when she collided with him, meeting him halfway in the meadow. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, hands gripping the leather on his chest, so strongly he wondered if she really wasn't physically there with him. And when she cried, he cried with her. They were holding onto each other as if they were both about to die, as if it was their last chance, as if it was the end.

When her legs buckled, he sat them both down, gathering her in his lap and holding her, wrapping his arms around her and just listening to her breathing, to her strong and steady heartbeat, to the way her sobs racked her entire frame. Neither said a word for a long time, nor did they move. A small wind seemed to have picked up, because the flowers shook slightly, gently bending, the extra powder of their glistening petals dissipating in the wind. And if Peter wasn't still traumatized by his own body turning to ash, he would have found it beautiful.

"I missed you so much," she said, eventually detaching herself from him enough to cup his face in her hands but without any intention to leave his lap and he held her like that, his hands resting familiarly on the curve of her waist. And then she crashed her lips on his, preventing him from telling her that he missed her too.

It felt so right to have her in his arms again, to see her beautiful face alive and moving, her eyes sparkling with love and desire. But he knew he had a mission and that all of this was just temporary. He hated himself for breaking this moment, but he couldn't wait to have her for real in his arms, back on the _Milano_ with everyone else. She seemed to sense the shift in his intentions, because her hands fell back on her own lap. "What are you doing here, Peter?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, simply curious and slightly anxious. As if she feared he was trapped with her in there forever, as if she feared he too had fallen at the hands of the Mad Titan.

"So many things happened since you were gone, honey…" he started. He proceeded to tell her everything that happened on Titan, how most of them were turned to ashes, how Rocket had been the last Guardian standing, alongside Nebula who didn't really consider herself a Guardian of the Galaxy (yet). How the rest of them had managed to bring them back from dustland. How Nebula and Drax were able to grab the Time and Soul Stones with the help of the Avengers. How miserable he had been without her, how vivid his hallucinations and nightmares alike had been. How much he had longer to be with her, to just see her again. How he had thought about joining her (at that, she slapped his arm). How Strange had explained what the Soul Stone really did and how they came up with a plan to bring her back.

She listened to him and never interrupted him, eyes focused and serious just like during any mission briefing. "So I should be back into my own body?" she then asked.

"I think so, that's the plan I mean. But, you're seriously injured, Gamora. It's not gonna be a walk in the park. When you'll come back, you'll be in pain. When we found you on Vormir…" He couldn't continue, the words blocked in his throat and tears threatening to spill at the mere thought of her broken body. She stroked his cheek, shushing him and trying to calm him down.

"I've been through worse. And it's all worth it, if it means I'll be with you again, if I'll see the others again. I am no stranger to pain, you know it."

"Doesn't mean I have to like seeing you hurt."

"Are you trying to dissuade me from coming back?" she chuckled.

"No, of course not. God, I want you back so bad! But, I figured you ought to know the consequences of what you're getting into."

"It can't be worse than being the reason why he managed to wipe out half the universe."

Peter froze at that and it was his turn to cup her face. "Don't say that. It's not your fault."

She smiled tenderly, but he saw in her eyes that, despite whatever he might say, she'd still blame herself for telling him the location to the Soul Stone and being the only person who was needed to be sacrificed.

"When I realized what he was about to do, I tried to kill myself," Gamora suddenly said, lowering her head and not meeting his eyes, tears brimming at their corners. "But he had it all planned and didn't even let me gut myself. And those bubbles!" Peter cradled her in his arms again and it was his turn to consol her.

"Hey, once we get out of here, we'll get him. Everyone seemed really determined to kick his giant purple ass. We're not alone and we already have two stones on our side. Plus, the Gauntlet had been acting up from what the others said, and we've got more new allies, some of them seriously weird though…" He looked down at her and whipped her tears, just like he had done that fateful day on the _Milano_. "We'll get through this. Together."

They held onto each other as an eerie silence surrounded them, the world of smoke and dust around them not making a sound. Peter wouldn't have been able to really tell when he was back into his own body or when he started to feel Gamora slip through his fingers. But when he opened his eyes again, he fell from the chair he was sitting on and hastily gave Nebula the Soul Stone.

Breathing heavily, he was brought to his feet by Drax and frantically looked at Gamora's body still on the table, surrounded by snow and ice that Mantis was in the process of adding. "Did it work?" Peter asked, searching Strange's face. The latter had his eyes closed and was skimming his hands above Gamora's body, not touching it but somehow manipulating something, because the next moment, Gamora drew in a sharp breath.


	9. When a man loves a woman

The moment Gamora started breathing again, Peter's heart started dancing. He knew she wasn't out of the woods yet, but he couldn't help it. But his happiness faded when a frown appeared on Gamora's sweet face and she started whizzing.

Peter would later thank Strange for his quick thinking and his capacity to remain calm, because he himself was a mess. Usually, every Guardian was rather good at keeping his cool when another one was hurt. Because they had all been there, they had all lived on the streets at some point in their lives, they had all been hurt and they all knew that, more often than not, the priority was to get away and only then, treat the injured. Because if they all got caught, treating the injured was impossible and would generally result in death.

He had seen Gamora hurt countless times before, but this time it was just too much. His emotions had been an endless rollercoaster during the last week, hell, during the last hour, and he just couldn't keep it together. So, despite his shock, he was glad Strange was there to take the matter into his own hands and prove to them how good a surgeon he actually was.

Strange made a few quick gestures and all of a sudden, an orange image appeared above Gamora. It was her body, moving and all, but it looked like a hologram. Strange frowned, shifted something in it, zoomed in, sighed, said "ah ha" then made it disappear as swiftly as it had appeared.

"I'm going to need assistance, preferably someone who knows her cybernetics." He looked at Rocket. "Would you be up for it?" Rocket nodded and jumped onto the table, surgery tools kit already in paw. Strange turned to Peter "You could help her calm down. Since you're in a relationship with her, you might also be able to give us valuable intel." So Peter went to stand next to Gamora's head. Strange wanted to limit the number of people around, mostly so he could concentrate.

Mantis was crying too much to be of any help and Strange didn't think it would be wise to mess up with Gamora's feelings right now. So Drax took her to the cockpit, Groot following suit. Nebula also stayed, in case they needed a hand, because she also knew most of Gamora's cybernetics and was quite handy with a blade.

While Peter held her hand and watched the others work, speaking soothing words in Gamora's ear despite the fact that she didn't seem to hear him, he realized a few things. Most of the snow and ice had melted while he was in the Soul World and Gamora's left arm and right leg, the ones with the broken bones, had been set. They weren't really treated yet, but Rocket visibly did his best to block them, preventing Gamora from worsening those injuries.

While Strange chose the right scalpel, having already washed his hands and sterilized the place even before they put Gamora on that table, he turned to Rocket. "Be careful not to put fur anywhere and open her chest up."

"Excuse me?" Peter almost yelled.

Strange didn't even spare him a glance and instead, found what he was looking for in Rocket's kit and plunged what looked like a straw right into Gamora's chest. There was a sudden noise, like air being released, and Gamora sighed, calming instantly as air was better circulating in her lungs.

"Do you want her to live? Then let me do my job. I was a neurosurgeon before, I know what I'm doing!" Strange said, words clipped and lips forming a tight line. And with that, Peter shut up. Although he watched the rest of the procedure, he didn't comment on it, helping when he was asked to and constantly talking to Gamora, although she did pass out at some point. They managed to somehow set her ribs and prevent her lungs from collapsing. Strange also repaired any damage one of her broken ribs had done in piercing her left lung. Once he was done with her chest, Strange set her arm and leg, finishing what had been started. Rocket in the meantime, with Nebula's help, managed to rewire her spine, fixing the little detail Nebula had mentioned on Vormir.

They were also able to restart her nano implants, but they needed some time to be fully active and operational. Rocket said that they would restart in time with Gamora's own consciousness, that it would be painful, but that she was damn lucky to have them, and such quality cybernetics, saying they were the best ones out there and that they'd help her heal faster. Peter only understood the basic things, so Rocket didn't try to explain to him the details, only what he really needed to know and Peter promised himself he'd ask Gamora about it one day, so that, if she ever encountered any issues with it, he'd be able to help her out.

Aside from all of that, Gamora also had one hell of a concussion and Strange had been anxious at first, when he saw all the amount of blood she had lost and the wound itself.

The only thing left for Peter to do, was to clean Gamora up and allow her to rest properly. They were flying back to Wakanda and T'Challa already promised they'd have a medic team waiting for them, should the need arise, to which Strange had scoffed. Peter had thanked him though, and that seemed to be enough for the Sorcerer Supreme.

Seeing as he and Nebula had seen Gamora naked before, they both cleaned her up the best they could while minding her injuries and trying not to make this awkward. Especially Peter, since he was back to himself now that Gamora was alive and since Nebula was very good at keeping quiet and doing the task at hand without any interruption or distraction.

In the end, they managed to get her into a new set of clothes and laid her down in her former cabin, propping her up on the only cushions left and covering her with three layers of blankets, since she was still shivering after being covered in ice for so long. Peter sat next to her this whole time, checking her vitals every few seconds, if she was breathing correctly, if her heart was beating not too fast and not too slow. He was starting to doze off when Kraglin informed him they were back in Wakanda.

This time around, Peter greeted everyone properly, like he would have in any normal circumstances and everyone seemed rather glad to see him cheerful and talkative and just, happy. They set Gamora up in one of the guest rooms, in the same wing where Drax was resting before and before Peter knew it, the time to confront Thanos came. He would have gladly joined the others and would smash his gun in that giant purple face again and again if he was given the opportunity, but he didn't want to leave Gamora's side. And now that she was back, his happiness took over his anger and lust for vengeance.

So, as everyone was saying their goodbyes, feeling better than the first time they had to fight the purple bastard but still somewhat anxious now that they knew what he was capable of, Peter took Nebula aside. As she was about to bite his hand off, he gave her something that made her freeze. Blinking in confusion, she looked at the sword in her hands.

"Gamora won't be able to use it today and I'm sure she'd like you to use it on Thanos. It's only fitting." Nebula didn't know what to say, so Peter squeezed her shoulder. "Just stay safe out there, okay? Watch over the others, I know they can be a handful. And bring the sword back, otherwise Gamora will kill me."

Nebula laughed. "For taking her things without permission? Yes, she would."

And with that she was off.

The rest of the day went in a blur, with Peter alternating between sleeping with his head next to Gamora's side, and walking around her room not knowing what to do besides playing some music. Now that she was set in a proper bed, all pillows and blankets and all, with also a new clean and dry set of clothes, she finally looked like herself. A bit pale, but dying would do that to you. The Wakandan doctors had set her up with an IV, but no blood bag, seeing that Gamora's blood was unique (and green, something one of the doctors had marveled at). Peter knew she would be fine, but he remained by her side.

She woke up a few time for a fraction of second, barely enough for him to help her drink some water. And then, after hours and hours, he finally received a transmission from Rocket saying simply this: "We won. Thanos is dead. Everyone is fine. We're coming back."


	10. I fooled around and fell in love

"Gamora, what are you doing?" Peter asked as Gamora stopped dead in her tracks, limbs frozen like a deer caught in headlights. She wasn't going to run away with her broken leg, Peter knew that, but she could also decide to prove him wrong. He knew she didn't like to sit around and do nothing, she had never been a good patient. But her injuries wouldn't heal if she moved around all the time.

It only took her five minutes, five minutes during which Peter had quickly gone to the royal kitchens to grab a bowl of whatever sugary they were serving for breakfast and it was long enough for Gamora to throw her covers off the bed and begin to detach her leg from the intricate contraption in which it was trapped.

"Relax, I'm just going to walk to that window. I want to see what's outside." When she smiled, he couldn't help but smile too. She was more or less back to her former self now, some good twenty-four hours after her actual surgery (Strange actually came by to see how she was doing before going back to New York with the Time Stone). Her skin was now a vibrant shade of green and not the paler version that made her look like a ghost. She had yet to wash her hair, but it was dry now though less curly than usual. Her silver scars were dimmed in the semi-darkness of the room, the sunrays hidden by heavy curtains so that her eye implants could adapt on their own. Her cheeks had regained color and her eyes weren't glassy anymore, an image Peter was certain he would see again in his nightmares.

There was a bandage on her forehead, with a thick pad of gauze shielding the back of her head where she hit the ground on Vormir. Although Strange had closed the wound and assured them there would be no lingering trauma, Gamora yet had to be fully healed. She had another large scar on her chest, going all the way from her solar plexus, between her breasts to a spot halfway above her navel. The heavy bruising and broken ribs explained the bandages around her torso. Her left forearm and her entire right leg were in a cast.

"No can do," Peter said, walking quickly to her bed before she had time to do anything. He left the bowl on the nightstand before standing in front of her, his hands on his hips and trying to look threatening. She smiled sheepishly at him and he would have put it on the morphine or whatever drug they had given her if she hadn't stopped taking it in the last couple of hours.

The way she looked at him with such longing and relief, he couldn't help himself and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss, mindful of the various aches of her body and soul, but as passionate and needy as anything they did since she was back. They already talked about everything that happened when she was lucid for the first time, some twelve hours after they arrived in Wakanda. They told each other how they felt and so much more, how they couldn't live without the other, how they were ready to embrace every possibility together, now that they were finally truly free. It had been daunting at first, and a little dizzying, to realize that they were actually free, that all that awaited them would never be as scary and cruel as what happened with Thanos. That their future was like an open road, full of wonders, that they were free to roam however they wanted, without any limits, restraints or fears.

"I can't believe the first song I'm hearing after all this is the first song I really appreciated from your tape," she swiftly said against his lips when she pulled out for air, quicker than usually but that was to be expected with her lungs still healing. He probably shouldn't be kissing her at all, but she didn't seem to mind, on the contrary.

"I got a deal for you," he suddenly said, resting his hands on her shoulders, but keeping his touch light just in case. Her nod prompted him to continue. "Shuri, the woman that marveled at the color of your blood, she's T'Challa's sister and one hell of a medic. She said she can help you heal faster by using Wakandan technology. She said she'd be able to make your scars disappear, well mostly, and completely heal your bones in a span of three days if she can also boost your healing nano implants. Which would be grand, because then I could take you dancing right on time for the party the king is throwing in exactly three days."

"But there's a catch."

"Yes, Shuri has one condition and I have to say, I agree one hundred percent." Gamora gave him a pointed look. "Under no circumstances, you are allowed to use your broken limbs or to harm your ribs. She doesn't want her handy work to go to waste. Meaning no walking, no sword fighting, no training."

"How will I get around then?"

"Easy, I'll carry you or you use a wheelchair. It's just for three days, Gamora," he said, lowering himself until he was at eye level with her. "You scared the shit out of us all on the _Milano_ , not to mention the mere fact that you should be dead. I don't want to take any chances with your health, not today, not ever."

Her smile softened and her fingers skimmed over the stubble on his cheeks. "I know and I'm sorry I worry you sometimes."

"Hey." He gently lifted her chin, mindful of her concussion, so she looked him in the eyes. "We're a bunch of a-holes. It's kinda our job to do reckless, stupid things and to worry each other. As long as you're careful and you don't push yourself, I'm fine with whatever you wanna do."

They kissed again before Peter cradled her in his arms and properly lifted her off the bed. "Shuri would like to see you as soon as possible to get a head start, but you wanted to see the scenery first." So he proceeded to carry her towards the window and set her down on the wide sill that a person could easily sit on. "Welcome to Wakanda my lady!" Peter said as he opened the curtains.

Gamora blinked for a moment, her eyes barely adjusting to the sudden light and Peter wondered if he made a mistake. But a few seconds later, she was smiling more broadly than he had seen her in the last couple of hours. Anywhere they looked, there were buildings of black stone and metal, the rest of the palace, but still with an omnipresent touch of African culture, whether in the form of bright colors, symbols or statues. After a hundred feet though, they could see the lush forest with trees as high as some of the buildings. And in the distance, they could even see a patch of grass with animals roaming about, looking like rhinos, from what Peter could tell.

"Are they… earth's version of rhinopuses?" Gamora asked, squinting her eyes as she opened the window, letting a fresh gust of wind throw her hair behind her shoulders.

"I think you could say that, yeah. On Earth, they're called rhinos, or rhinoceroses."

Gamora was quiet for a moment, taking it all in and Peter watched her as a gentle breeze played with some of her curls. Five seconds later, her hand found his and he brought her to him, his arms comfortably resting around her shoulders, allowing her to rest the back of her head on his arms.

"After the party, when I'll be able to walk again, will you take me there?" Her chin motioned at the patch of grass.

"I'm not sure it's safe, but okay. I mean, we're three times galaxy savers, what could rhinos do to us?" They smiled together and watched the animals roaming in the distance, the wind rustling in the trees, the noises of the city lulling them to a comfortable silence that neither wanted to break.

It's actually Shuri who found them, still in front of that window and they proceeded to do the first round of treatment. It was painful, Peter could see it on Gamora's face, but to her credit, she didn't let out any sound and didn't complain one bit. Shuri wanted Gamora back twelve hours later, so they could do two rounds a day and Gamora agreed, much to Peter's relief.

The next three days went in a blur, Peter alternating his time between keeping company to Gamora and catching up with her, being present during her sessions with Shuri, helping her clean up and changing her bandages, while also occasionally helping out Wakandians and their other allies with the preparation for the party. Stark set him up with two things: an iPhone that Peter didn't know how to use and thought he'd figure out later (so he left it on the _Milano_ ) and old copies of films that his mom would have had a blast watching again after all these years. Of course, Footloose and Dirty Dancing were among those and Stark tried very hard not to comment on Peter's taste in films.

On the third day, while Gamora was still sleeping, Peter left her side and went looking for T'Challa. He found the king in the courtyard where the party was supposed to be held that evening. It was still rather early in the morning, since the only Avengers he saw on his way there were those who had years of routine ingrained in their DNA. He met Natasha, Steve and Bucky on their way to the training grounds, the trio spending most of their mornings there, whether out of habit or as a mean to prevent them from sitting still, Peter didn't know.

He reached the king as he was advising one of his people about the banners he wanted to be put in place for the evening, something about embroidered silk representing the five tribes of Wakanda, but Peter didn't really pay attention. "What can I do for you, Mister Quill?" he asked.

Peter looked around as if to make sure no one was listening in on them before whispering. "I know the party is tonight, but I've got a favor to ask."

"I'm listening."

Once Peter had exposed his plan to T'Challa, the king smiled broadly and both men shook hands, as if to seal what they had just discussed. "It will be done. I'll have someone bring it to you in the afternoon for approval." The rest of the day was spent like the previous two, until Gamora had her last session with Shuri.

When Shuri was finished with Gamora, Peter suggested they take a shower before the party. They had three hours left and he figured they needed some time to get ready. So they grabbed their best clothes from their quarters on the _Quadrant_ , Gamora deciding for a silk black dress with reinforced leather on the waist, forming an intricate corset that actually wasn't as tight as it looked, while Peter settled for a nice cream colored shirt, dark pants and his traditional red Ravageur jacket. He had told T'Challa not to expect too much from the Guardians when it came to dress code, because they were a weird bunch, to which T'Challa had only laughed and said he wouldn't have it any other way, that he wanted people to have fun and celebrate, not to have them attend a charity gala.

Once they undressed, Peter made sure to check every injury Gamora had scored and was pleased to see that Shuri did wonders. It would have taken Gamora a whole month with her own implants to heal the broken bones, but Shuri did it in three days. The only things reminding them of that dreadful ordeal were small barely visible silver lines that Peter only saw because he knew they were there, and they were neat and precise, looking nothing like the scars on her face you could spot from the other end of the room.

Now that her casts had been removed, Gamora stood on her own two feet, looking even more beautiful than the last time he saw her naked and she proved to Peter her strength was back when she slammed him against the shower wall, claiming his mouth with hers.

But their reunion was short lived, because as soon as they started to wash each other, they both froze, watching the bubbles with terrified eyes. Ever so slowly, Gamora reached for Peter's hands, her whole frame trembling as tears welled up in her eyes and she placed a hand right under her breasts, a place Peter understood was where she tried to stab herself, which led him to know that she was relieving her last moments on Vormir.

He became her rock and she became his anchor. When one wavered, the other held them tight. And when it happened to the both of them at the same time, they held onto each other like to a lifeline, whispering loving words and promises that would get them through it all.


	11. So darlin', darlin', stand by me

Everyone seemed to have gathered in the courtyard that evening and even Peter had to admit that T'Challa knew how to have guests. Wakandians came and went, having organized parties of their own in town so Peter saw entire crowds of black people come and go and it was actually really interesting to watch. Groot seemed particularly captivated by it, especially since at the beginning of the party, every single citizen seemed to feel the urge to come and greet their king. But after a short while, only the Avengers and their allies remained, along with some warriors that could hold their liquor (which is why they stayed in the courtyard, because of the Asgardian mead Thor had brought).

So far, Peter was enjoying his night. The courtyard was built in a very specific way. The dance floor was at the center of it, while tables had been set all around it, forming a square and standing on small stages, which made the courtyard look like an arena from the windows of the palace. The stages weren't that tall, and Drax could fall from that height and not break anything, that was nothing new, but when Mantis also stumbled from her own table and the whole way down, Peter was actually glad it was just a couple of feet high.

During most of the evening, he had either his arm snaked possessively around Gamora's shoulders (which she had stopped three years ago to see as an act of possession and now saw as an act of protective love), or his hand in hers under the table. It was so obvious that Rocket whistled at them every single time he passed in front of their table. The tables weren't that big and could only accommodate four to five people, which was an excellent excuse to switch seats during the evening. And Peter and Gamora also did that, at one point sitting with T'Challa himself, then with Steve, Wanda and Vision, then with Natasha. During that time, Gamora had lengthy conversations with the former Russian spy about weapons, training and, surprisingly enough, relationships between men and women at work. It's during that time that Peter excused himself, letting them talk in peace and making a point, mostly to himself, that he wasn't the clingy boyfriend everyone might think he was. Of course he could leave Gamora's side for ten minutes. And the fact that his head automatically turned in her direction every few seconds was only a sign that he was indeed head over heels in love with her.

He grabbed a cocktail with an unpronounceable name and talked for a while with Drax, who almost made him spit his lungs when he patted his back. "So, now that your wife and daughter are avenged, what will you do?" He had asked the big oaf, who, of course, wasn't wearing a shirt.

"I thought about sticking with you for a while. My family being at peace doesn't mean I have to immediately join them. I think there are other ways I could make them proud. I have a second family to take care of, they'd understand that. And they would actually kick my ass if I dishonored the Guardians by leaving them, I think." Peter was moved to say the least. He had kinda dreaded Drax's decision, but would have accepted it, not matter what it was. But he was glad his family was still intact, with every single one of its members accounted for.

Peter then saw Stark and a strawberry blonde woman holding his arm, who he assumed to be his fiancée (Stark had mentioned her when he said he did not want Quill at his wedding, saying it needed to remain as human and unsurprising as possible). Gamora surprised him though when she came to meet him, her conversation with Natasha being over.

"You having fun?" he asked her and she grabbed his drink to taste it, making an appreciative face at how sweet and pleasant the cocktail felt on her tongue.

"Yes. It couldn't be better." She was genuinely smiling. God, she was beautiful. It wasn't only the dress, that of course and Peter made sure to tell her that every hour, because it was true and he was an honest man, but also because he adored the way she blushed. But Gamora was also beautiful in general, and Peter didn't think that because his type were hot, deadly alien women. He truly found her beautiful, in every single way and if that made him a sap (like Rocket often said), then he was happy to be one.

"Really? 'Cause I know a way to make it even better!" He playfully wiggled his eyebrows at her and she laughed when he took her by the hand, lightly so that if she wanted to go away, she could, but strongly enough to remind her that he was there every step of the way and he'd always be by her side as long as she'd want him. Some of the Avengers watched them and smiled, the others were too captivated by the wrestling match between Drax and Valkyrie.

Dancing with Gamora had always felt natural, so easy and just plain right, that it had left Peter trembling and wishing for more the first time. She was also a natural, despite what she said or what Drax thought. They just made it work and during the last four years, they danced so often together, that it now seemed as if they had finished some kind of dancing school. Which was probably why as soon as they started to dance, improvising really, just following the rhythm and their hearts, people left the dance floor to watch them. In any other circumstance, Peter knew it would have made Gamora nervous, but she didn't seem to care, as if her brush with death had liberated her restrains, allowing her to live to the fullest from now on.

And just as promised, the words of a very familiar song started, widening Gamora's already broad smile. Peter was certain that if all the lights went out, her smile could light up the whole courtyard. The only couple left dancing with them was Wanda and Vision, but they were more like slow dancing than anything, swaying gently while tightly wrapped in each other's embrace, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. Peter saw T'Challa wink at him and he proceeded to spin Gamora, making her turn and genuinely enjoying the whole thing. He could tell she was enjoying it as well and his heart swelled every single time their eyes locked. He saw in her eyes such devotion and infinite love, promises of happy tomorrows, of priceless moments and care.

Peter sang along, making her laugh. He brought her closer to him, crossing their arms as she spinned and he said in her ear, loud enough for her to hear over the music, but low enough so that she was the only one to hear it: "Gamora, you're not just my star, you're my whole damn sky. You're my world and my home. These last years with you were heaven and I'd like for them to be just the beginning." He spun her back and he could see, as their arms outstretched and she did that thing with her free hand, like a freaking hand spin that looked like it came straight out of a high-class ballet which turned his legs to jello, that she was listening intently.

"I know there's a lot to figure out, a lot of roads to take, a lot of bridges to built. But I would love for you to come on that adventure with me, to see, together, what the future has in store for us." He brought her back again, back into his arms so her back was almost glued to his chest.

She turned her face towards him, lips inches apart and ready to kiss him, while he fished in his pockets for the very thing he had asked T'Challa about. As he smiled at her, eyes shining with the most unconditional love she had ever seen, he showed her the ring. It was a ring of vibranium, slightly colored so it looked more black than grey, with a single small emerald inserted in it.

"Gamora, would you give me the honor of marrying me?"

Tears started streaming down her face as she nodded softly. "Yes. But only if I get to wear your last name." Peter knew it was a touchy subject, that she hated the fact that Thanos had given her his last name, Ben-Titan. That on her planet, last names didn't exist, favoring instead title like for example the Challenger.

"That would make me very happy," he said as he put the ring on her left ring finger, fitting it nicely among her other rings despite the slightly different color. He cried with her as she pressed her lips to his, feeling every emotion through that kiss, sealing their bond and the endless promises.

"I'M CALLING GODFATHER FIRST!" Drax yelled from one of the farthest tables. Of course he had to interrupt them. Rocket and Groot came to them on the dance floor, officially stopping the dancing and congratulated them. Mantis was next, although drunk and held up by Kraglin would grinned at Peter as if he knew all along. Everyone chose this moment to come around them and congratulate them, turning the whole party into one giant sobbing mess. Laughter soon rose in the air and the festivities resumed, but somehow, the mood was even lighter, even happier.

And somewhere in the shadows, Peter saw Nebula, with her back against the wall, lift her glass to him, an appreciative look on her face. He had actually asked for her blessing a few hours before the party and Nebula had given it to him, also promising to kill him in the most painful way if he ever hurt Gamora.

"Well done, Quill," was all Stark said, two hours later, as the party was at its fullest. Gamora had her arm wrapped around Peter's waist and turned to Tony, stopping mid-sentence what she was telling the Spider kid (who, by the way, was very impressed by Gamora and was already considering her as his older alien sister-in-law or something, while seeing Peter as some sort of older brother figure). "Well done," Tony continued. And he just patted him on the back while Peter grinned like a five year old on Christmas day.

"You're still not invited at our wedding though." Pepper slapped his arm and was about to say something, but Tony looked at Gamora. She immediately saw that he had so many things to say to her, probably about what had happened on Titan, probably about Peter, probably a lot of complaints, but he simply smiled in that billionaire philanthropist way of his. He pondered for a moment about whether or not tell her to keep Quill in check, but instead, he said, looking her straight in the eye: "No offense."

She smiled back, an honest yet amused smile. "None taken. You are invited to ours though." And with that, she winked at Pepper (whom she had spoken with almost as long as with Natasha), and steered Peter somewhere else, leaving a laughing Pepper and a surprised Tony behind.


	12. Watching every motion

Peter suddenly woke up, his eyes snapping open. But everything was quiet around him, they weren't in any danger. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was back in his quarters aboard the _Quadrant_. "Good morning," Gamora then said softly as she lifted her head from his chest to look at him. His arm was snaked around her naked back, their sheets only covering their lower halves and Peter grinned when the memories from last night came back to him.

After leaving Stark and Pepper, they had danced some more, laughing and smiling like the space dorks they were. Some people ended up passed out on the tables, others made themselves scarce and left in pairs. The king officially called it a night around five in the morning but said that everyone was welcome to celebrate for as long as they wanted. Peter and Gamora left around that time and were among those last to leave or still be standing. The only ones who partied long after their departure, were Thor and Valkyrie, with Loki who somehow appeared out of nowhere (because, Time Stone). Before they left though, they made sure they knew the whereabouts of their friends: Mantis was passed out on a table, next to a snoring Drax, Kraglin had crashed in one of the corridors inside the palace, Groot found them and told them that he had already slept for a few hours and that he was going for a stroll in the forest, Rocket was curled around Bucky's brand new and still attached metal arm, whispering "Mine" in his sleep and Nebula was nowhere to be seen but Gamora wasn't worried.

So naturally, Peter and Gamora made their way to their quarters, Gamora insisting she was fine and repeating that, if she was able to dance that much with him, she was perfectly safe to do other things.

And as Peter looked now at Gamora, he couldn't believe how lucky he was to be granted a second chance with the woman of his life, the kind of chance a lot of people wished to have, he was aware of that. He caressed her back, his hand slowly finding its way to her shoulder blades while with his other he interlaced their fingers. He brushed her ring with his fingertips, marveling at how beautiful it actually was. T'Challa did an amazing job in such short notice and insisted that it was his gift to them. He also offered Peter to host their wedding, saying that Wakanda could need more celebrations of life to make up for all the tragedies. But Peter first wanted to settle the details with Gamora and not for her.

"What?" she asked, seeing his pensive face.

"I can't believe we're getting married."

She laughed and took her hand from him, propping herself on her elbows, making some of her curls fall and Peter replaced them behind her shoulder. "Are you having second thoughts?" She asked playfully, with an eyebrow raised.

"No, I was just contemplating how lucky I am." He kissed her and was expecting her to pull back, Gamora having never liked to be kissed with morning breath, but this time she didn't. "Like, this is all a dream come true."

She smiled at that and they cuddled for a while before she spoke again, her head resting once more on his chest, as she stroked his biceps with her free hand, his own fingers still on her back. "So how do you want to do this?" It was a time as any to start planning. "The others are gonna give us hell for not telling them about the proposal."

Peter laughed. "Nah, it's gonna be fine. Rocket was mad, but he was also happy. Did you see him cry? He'll deny it though. And Drax with his whole godfather thing…" then he suddenly stopped and looked down at her. "Wait, he was serious, wasn't he? About us having children?"

She nodded and he realized that she had thought about that too. "So…" he started again. "Would you like to… have kids someday? Like, not now, but…" he tried not to sound hopeful in case she wasn't on the same page as he.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds and Peter thought that this was it, that he had said the wrong thing. They were physically compatible but he didn't even know if it was the case biologically speaking. And he knew for a fact that Zen-Whoberei were very similar to humans when it came to reproduction which still wasn't proof. So Peter wondered if there was a chance they might be able to have Zen-Whoberi-Human-Celestial little hybrids of their own.

But after a moment lost in her own thoughts, Gamora smiled and looked back at him. "Let's take it one step at a time. But yes, someday, if we can, I'd like to have children with you." Peter wondered how many times his heart could melt before he'd die of happiness.

They spent the rest of the morning in bed, not caring in the slightest if the others were expecting them to return to the party. They talked about the wedding preparations and agreed on all the details. They didn't want a big party, but they wanted to invite everyone that had helped defeat Thanos, which meant at least fifty people if not more, Peter didn't exactly count. Also, they needed to think about the plus ones of everyone, like Pepper for instance, and so they settled for a small hundred guests. They took T'Challa up on his offer, but negotiated with him to have the party in one of the fields of grass, because Gamora loved nature and they wanted a place that would be welcoming, but also quite private.

So they settled on a place, two miles from the palace and the city, where there was enough place to set up a dance floor (something Peter insisted on), and tables and everything that was needed for a reception of a hundred people. Stark decided he'd take care of the music and would bring them the latest technology. He also promised Peter that he'd take his taste into account and make them unforgettable playlists. For a guy who seemed not to be that interested in their feelings, Peter realized Tony actually cared a lot.

As for the ceremony, Peter and Gamora both wanted to be married officially in space, something about legal papers in three quadrants of the galaxy. Nova Prime agreed to marry them on Xandar. Because that's where they met and, despite the circumstances of said meeting, they had ties to Xandar since that day. And it was beautiful that time of the year. Nova Prime, after saying she was relieved to see them both alive, thanking them for having saved the galaxy again and congratulating them for their union, accepted to marry them only if they and their guests (meaning mostly Rocket) behaved.

So once they had the place settled, they thought about the date. A week seemed enough to prepare everything and it suited every guest. That way, everyone could go back to their life right after the wedding, Peter and Gamora could go on a honey moon and Tony and Pepper could then take all the time in the world to prepare their own wedding (to which Stark reminded Peter they still weren't invited, despite the fact that Pepper had slipped official invitations to Gamora one night).

"Guests? Check. Place? Check. Date? Check. What else?" Peter asked Gamora. They had gotten up at some point during the day, dressed and cleaned to look presentable when they talked to T'Challa about the party. Once the king showed them the place in the afternoon (while all the Avengers were sobering up), they went back to the _Quadrant_ and called Nova Prime. After that, they sat in their quarters, throwing back and forth ideas, making lists and calling people in order to organize everything. Gamora actually wanted to decide about most things that day, so that they could have as much time as possible to prepare during the rest of the week.

"You mentioned rings." Gamora supplied and Peter added that to his list on the pad. Gamora also had a pad on her knees, sitting a few feet away from Peter on their bed, and was looking at the flower arrangements that T'Challa had sent her. Groot was already on board on that one and demanded he did most of the things involving flowers. Peter and Gamora had insisted upon their guests that they didn't want any wedding presents, but Stark had laughed at that, saying that it didn't matter what Quill said, they were still getting them a present and most guests seemed to agree, making secrets arrangements among themselves to each get the couple something.

Peter had told her about the tradition of wearing rings and, even though something like that didn't exist on Zen-Whoberi, Gamora liked the idea of wearing something that would mean she belonged to someone and that someone belonged to her. So they settled for a pair of metallic rings that the guy Peter was supposed to bring the Orb to on Xandar so many years ago engraved with the word "Together" written in the standard galactic language (which looked like runes to all their human guests).

T'Challa said he'd take care of everything when it came to the food, accessories and everything they'd need for the wedding. And of course, he didn't want to hear about any payment, he even got mad when Peter mentioned a way to repay him. So Peter and Gamora decided instead they'd help as much as they could.

The only two things left to decide were the vows and their clothes. They decided against any kind of vows, Peter feeling it wasn't fair to Gamora, since she wasn't as comfortable with words (especially in public) as he was. Besides, the ceremony on Xandar was supposed to be quick, they didn't want to make a big deal of it.

As for the clothes, Gamora informed him that she'd go shopping with Pepper and Natasha in a couple of days. Peter couldn't lie: he was glad his fiancée was making friends so fast. With everything that happened, the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy were bound to meet again, and even if the universe never needed to be saved again (which Peter highly doubted), they would probably still meet for anniversaries or something, for old time's sake.

Stark also said he'd take Peter shopping, saying that "someone needs to make sure this imbecile looks presentable". The only thing that Gamora and Peter agreed on was the colors white and red. While Gamora had nothing against the color white in itself, she had to admit she wouldn't wear a white dress on any other occasion. But for Peter, she could make an exception on their wedding day. Peter on the other hand, didn't want to wear a black suit, so he settled on a white one. They also looked forward to add red details to their clothes, because it was a color that Gamora associated with marriage in her people's culture and Peter said this wedding was as much about him as it was about her. Besides, red was like his second favorite color, so he was more than happy to oblige.

All in all the wedding day came really fast, with none of them being really ready for it. At the same time, they were nervous, but they were also really excited. The fact that it was happening so shortly after the whole final battle made it all the more surreal, but they wouldn't have it any other way.


	13. How deep is your love

Kraglin made sure the other Guardians were all ready and dressed for the occasion as well. He himself was dressed in what he called the "Ravageur garb for any official important meeting", which mostly looked like the official Ravageur outfit but of such better quality Peter wondered for a moment how Kraglin was able to afford that. He later learned that it was Stakkar's way of blessing Peter in Yondu's name, or whatever the older Ravageur had told Kraglin. Drax didn't wear a shirt, as per usual, but his pants were made of some kind of velvet and Peter had to admit the Destroyer looked mighty elegant in them. Mantis had a light green dress on and was wearing a crown of flowers on her head, the same flowers Groot had been growing for the better part of the week of preparations, leaving him exhausted but damn happy and proud of himself. Those same flowers could later be found on every table during the party. And Groot made the effort of wearing a red bow tie that Rocket kept straightening every now and then. Rocket himself wore the same kind of suit he wore every day, but this one was of a dark maroon, with elegant white sleeves and cuffs (which he hated and said made him look like a da'st moron, but as soon as Gamora told him he looked nice, he stopped complaining). And Nebula wore an elegant and more sophisticated version of her usual clothes (blatantly refusing to wear a dress) in the same shade of green that Mantis, but only because she was Gamora's witness and one of the bridesmaids.

Stark was actually surprised that the Guardians managed to coordinate their clothes' colors, especially the bridesmaids and best men. Mantis and Nebula were Gamora's bridesmaid, one being overly cheerful and excited about the fact that it was the first wedding she was attending, and the other sulking in a corner. Since he couldn't choose only one of his friends, Peter's best men were Rocket, Groot, Drax and Kraglin, with the latter also being his witness.

To preserve the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride's dress, Peter prepared (and was helped by Drax and Kraglin) aboard the _Quadrant_ , where all their guests were also waiting, ready in their party clothes for the ship to take them to Xandar, most of the Avengers (especially Spider kid) being excited about seeing more aliens. In the meantime, Gamora prepared aboard the _Milano_ with Mantis and Nebula, but also Natasha and Pepper who knew more about fashion than any of the three alien women. "We're good to go Quill," Nebula said to him through their comms and both ships flew to Xandar.

Peter himself was wearing a white suit with a red elegant jacket underneath. Even his pants were white and instead of a tie, he settled for a bright red bow, to match also the red square of velvet in his chest pocket. Groot had also slid Gamora's favorite flower in that pocket, a snow white tiger lily from Nelar. It looked like an Earth lily, but the white petals had brown spots that turned a deep shade of blue when there wasn't enough natural sunlight.

Of course, songs from his romantic playlist were playing during the ceremony. Nova Prime was expecting them and led Peter and his guests to the hall where the ceremony would take place, which looked like a mix between a church and the office of a mayor. Nova Prime stood in her uniform in front of a desk where all the papers were laid. A golden carpet stretched through the whole length of the hall, from the desk to the very doors at the entrance. Peter was waiting on the right next to her atop the three steps of stairs the desk was on. Kraglin was by his side, so was Groot, holding the box with the rings. Mantis and Nebula were opposite them, waiting on Gamora's side, and all their guests had separated in two groups, leaving a trail open for Gamora to come through, just like in all those films Peter had seen as a kid.

"Don't worry Pete, it'll be fine!" said Kraglin, feeling his nervousness. Peter was about to answer but his jaw almost hit the floor when he saw Gamora enter through the open doors, her right arm snaked under Drax's who beamed with pride and looked even more imposing as he stood straight, while her left arm was somehow locked with Rocket's, despite their height difference.

Peter had no word to describe how stunning she looked. He was also fairly certain his heart just decided to go on vacation because of the way it just stopped.

Her strapless white dress had red patterns of soft figures embroidered in its entire length, shimmering in silk waves to her knees. It was slightly longer on the back, gently brushing the back of her calves and showing off her white heels which mostly showed her feet. She hadn't wanted a bouquet; so instead, the flowers were in her hairdo. Her magenta curls were all brought up atop her head in a complex composition of snow white tiger lilies, soft pink roses and pearl pins. She had kept the jewelry to a minimum, only wearing her usually rings and a pair of diamond earrings Pepper had chosen for her.

As Peter watched her walk down the golden carpet towards him, he forgot how to breathe; he even forgot his own name. It was Kraglin's elbow to his ribs that brought him back and Peter walked down the steps. Drax gave him Gamora's arm while Rocket simply said "Don't screw this up, Pete," and winked before they all joined the other guests.

"My god you're beautiful," Peter softly said to her, her hand in his as he walked with her towards Nova Prime.

"You're handsome as well," she answered and her smile could light up the whole galaxy.

The ceremony itself didn't last more than five minutes, Nova Prime saying the usual necessary administrative things, both Peter and Gamora saying "I do" when it was their turn. Groot gave Peter the rings (which Nova Prime silently approved with a nod and a proud smile) and they were slid on their respective fingers. And when Nova Prime proclaimed them husband and wife, Gamora swore she saw stars when Peter kissed her.

Then they proceeded to sign the papers in Standard, Xandarian and Earth English, Peter and Gamora going first and Peter had to say, his heart swelled proudly when she signed _Gamora Quill_ on her side. Then it was Kraglin's and Nebula's turn. Once it was done, Peter grabbed their copy of the papers (the other staying with the Nova Corps on Xandar for the archives) and lifted it in the air along with Gamora's hand, to which their guests applauded and laughed, some of them crying but all smiling. Even Nebula cracked a smile for a fraction of a second.

Breaking the tradition, Peter and Gamora were the first ones out of the hall, hand in hand and almost running in sheer excitement. Dey and some of the Nova Corpsmen were waiting for them outside to congratulate them.

The party actually started inside the _Quadrant_ where everyone had fit for the ride back, because Mr. and Mrs. Quill opened the dancing with the space equivalent of a rather medium-paced waltz. The music was blaring and some drinks were already being served when they landed in Wakanda and Peter yelled to everyone "Let's take this party outside!" before jumping out with Gamora in tow.


	14. And we can build this dream together

The party happened like most parties do: people were drinking, laughing, some of them making one hell of a noise, others telling each other stories, there were some fights, there were some cries, and all in all people had fun. But seeing as the guests at this party were 1) mostly people with superpowers that the more they drank the less they controlled said powers 2) the Guardians of the Galaxy were actually hosting this party and 3) it was a da'st wedding, things didn't go as planned to say the least.

It was actually a good idea to have the party so far from the city and in the middle of almost nowhere, seeing as half the tables ended up destroyed, that three fires were started and that Rocket managed to blow one of the speakers up. But T'Challa knew the Avengers and had a fairly good idea of how the Guardians would behave, so he had everything under control when it came to destruction and fires.

These were the only setbacks, because aside from that, everyone had the time of their life. People danced once Gamora and Peter opened the dance floor with the first dance for the second time that night, because Peter wouldn't have it any other way, especially on his wedding day. What really moved him was actually the fact that every Guardian, even Mantis (but not Nebula), shared a dance at some point with Gamora. Drax had insisted he danced with her, because despite the fact that he didn't dance, he knew it was important for Peter and had become important for Gamora in the past few years, and so he wanted to give her that. Groot was just pleased by the idea, so was Mantis and Gamora managed not to make it awkward at all, laughing while they weirdly swayed. Peter wondered in that moment what Mantis was feeling through her touch with Gamora to have her smile like that. Kraglin danced with her too and even Rocket who "only this once" allowed her to lift him up and rest on her hip. But since it looked all too funny, Peter requested the Spider kid send him the pictures and videos he had taken, for safe keeping. They actually agreed to meet on Earth after the honeymoon so the other Peter could teach Space Peter about the internet.

When the Spider kid was actually finishing his dance with Gamora (who was officially, according to him, his older-alien-adoptive-sister-in-law), Peter came to them and snatched his wife by the waist. Because there was no way everyone would dance with his wife and not him. Gamora smiled apologetically at Spider kid who grinned, took a picture of them (saying it was for Aunt May who wanted to know who was getting married) and left them alone.

"Finally I can dance with my wife," Peter groaned in frustration. Gamora only smiled. Her dress was a little less well kept than before, the edges of her skirts ruffled and becoming more grey than white as the hours passed. Some of the flowers in her hair had wilted so she took them out and half her curls had also fallen and were now gently brushing her shoulders.

"Don't worry, I'm all yours now."

He laughed and lifted his left ring finger. "I know, for all eternity." He was quiet for a second. "Are you having second thoughts?" he asked playfully while they swayed to the slow tempo.

She pretended to think before casually saying: "No, not yet." Then she kissed him passionately and for a moment, Peter forgot how to breathe. It was incredible she was still doing this to him after all the years they had been together, but he figured it was a good thing that she was still driving him crazy in all the best ways.

"I saw you talk to Nebula earlier. She left?" Peter then asked. He was actually glad Nebula had given Godslayer back, not that he didn't trust her with it or anything, it's just that Gamora really loved that blade. At the mention of her sister, Gamora's smile, although still there, dimmed a little.

"Yes, in one of ours pods, but I let her. She said she'd think about joining the Guardians, but that she needs to do some things before that. There are some places where we did some damage in his name, and I've tried to correct my mistakes in some of them, but there are so many left. Besides, I think Nebula needs some time to figure things on her own, like where she fits now that she's truly free, what she wants to do now that her vengeance is complete, things like that. We'll wait for her, right?"

Peter smiled. "Right. And we'll welcome her in the Guardians if she wants to. As long as she doesn't try to kill me, torture me or maim me in any way."

Gamora laughed at that and rested her head on Peter's shoulder. "It's actually really pleasant to get to do things this… normal, this domestic. I could get used to that."

"Yeah?" he asked softly, grinning like an idiot in her hair.

"Yeah. To have you as my idiot in my life." Peter couldn't help but laugh.

And of course, who says wedding says wedding games. Gamora was actually the one who won the drinking contest, beating even Thor and Valkyrie, thanks to her two livers mostly. And Peter was so proud and silly (because he had participated, of course he had, he wanted to support his wife) that he jumped on tables and yelled that his wifey was the best and that he was such a lucky man.

There was another game and Peter wasn't a fan of that one, but Stark told him it was a tradition, which was the game of let's-take-the-garter-of-the-bride-down. Gamora had one, a blue one as the Earth tradition wanted (the new thing was the dress, the old one was the pair of shoes that Gamora had bought three years prior in a Xandarian market for a specific mission that turned wrong in the end and the borrowed thing were the earrings from Pepper that Gamora insisted on returning).

So she was sitting on the central table, each leg on a chair, her position not exactly provocative seeing as her legs weren't that spread apart and her skirts largely hid anything intimate, but Peter felt jealous and protective. No one besides him should see her like that. But he couldn't participate, because seeing he was a man, any money he would give would only lower her garter. Not all the guys tried to put money in a hat next to Gamora, but among those who did were Stark, Bucky (who swore it was just for fun), and others like the Spider kid who wanted to do like the grownups but who was blushing so much when he slightly lowered the garter with trembling hands that Peter thought he might pass out.

Peter quickly realized though that most men were doing this to mess with him, laughing at seeing him all protective like that (and because Gamora was also amused by the whole game she was discovering). Natasha came at some point and lifted the garter, winking at Gamora and seemingly unfazed by the strength of her green thighs (from Peter knew about both women, they could relate, having strangled men with those thighs…). Mantis also put a coin in there, timidly lifting the garter, until Drax came and lowered it again, saying that he wanted to participate in every Terran custom. Peter's color was slowly draining from his face until Pepper grabbed the one hundred dollar bill Tony had in his hand, which would have bought him the garter and ended the game. She also added another bill from her own pocket, kissed her fiancé on the cheek before shoving the bills in the hat and lifting the garter all the way up and then lowering Gamora's skirts and helping her off the table, making the ladies win. Peter promised himself to thank her later.

More games and drinks and dances followed and Peter wasn't sure at some point with whom he had danced (all genders and races considered) and with whom he hadn't. Because he remembered dancing with T'Challa for instance and he was fairly certain the king wasn't as drunk as he was. But the evening went swiftly, some people coming and going like Strange who dropped by around midnight with Wong and stayed for the rest of the evening with a lovely lady named Christine. In the end, Peter didn't get if she was Strange's lover or just colleague, from the way they seemed to disagree on the matter.

It's only around nine in the morning, and surprisingly enough, everyone seemed to still be awake, that Peter and Gamora changed aboard the _Quadrant_ , grabbed the bags they had prepared and said goodbye to everyone. They agreed that the Guardians would wait for them in Wakanda and Rocket promised that he'd try not to blow anything up. They weren't going far for their honeymoon, or at least, they'd stay on the planet. Because Gamora wanted to see more of Africa, and Peter had promised he'd show her. He also wanted to make a stop by Missouri, because despite his almost eighty years, his grandpa was still alive and Peter wanted him to meet Gamora. They also planned on traveling around the Earth a little, seeing Peter's favorite places and discovering new ones.

So they kissed and embraced everyone goodbye once they were sober (at least Gamora) enough to fly the _Milano_ and left for their two-weeks honeymoon, leaving the others to continue celebrating their wedding but also the fact that the universe got a second chance and that life was just marvelous.

THE END


End file.
